illilM^^^^ 


III 


■!l'!*l 


MAKING   GOOD 


ip^)(^0' 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

MSW  YORK  •  BOSTON  •   CHICAGO  •   DALLAS 
ATLANTA  •   SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limitbd 

LONDON  .  BOMBAY  •   CALCUTTA 
MBLBOURNB 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  L-mk 

TORONTO 


MAKING  GOOD 

A  STORY  OF  NORTHWEST  CANADA 
BY 

CAPTAIN  G.  B.  M'KEAN,  V.O. 

Author  of  "Scouting  Thrills" 


»    » I' 


Jf^m  fork 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 
1920 

All  rights  reserved 


CopTKiaHT,  1920, 

6t  the  macmillan  company 


Bet  up  and  eleotrotypod.         Published  October,  1920. 


<    «  (    • 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTEK 


I 
II 

m 

IV 

V 

VI 

vn 


On  Board  tlie  Schooner  Jersey 
The  Deserters 
A  Forest  Fire       .     . 
A  Train  Wreck     . 
The  Gates  of  the  West 
On  the  Eanch  . 
The  Cattle  Enstlers  . 
Vm    The  Eound-Up      .     . 
IX    The  Ice-Hockey  Champi 
X    Lost  in  a  Blizzard 
XI    The  Eunaways      .     . 
XII    The  Outlaw  Broncho 
Xni    The  Fair    .     ... 
XIV    The  Great  Stampede 


ons 


PAGE 

3 

22 

42 

53 

61 

79 

100 

118 

136 

154 

171 

188 

204 

219 


424631 


±. 


CHAPTEE  I 

ON  BOARD  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY 

JACK  YOUNG  stood  contemplating  tlie  sail- 
ing schooner  Jersey  as  it  lay  in  dock  at 
Bristol.  The  name  appealed  to  him,  for  Jersey 
had  been  his  home  for  the  sixteen  years  of  his 
life.  He  had  not  run  away  from  home ;  the  old 
homestead  had  been  sold  a  few  weeks  ago  on 
the  death  of  his  father,  and  his  mother  had 
gone  to  make  her  home  with  an  older  brother, 
so  Jack,  with  an  inborn  love  of  the  sea,  had 
decided  to  seek  adventure  and  a  living  on  its 
wide,  rolling  spaces.  He  walked  over  to  the 
Jersey  and  found  it  agog  with  life — it  was 
going  out  on  the  tide  that  night.  Presently  the 
huge  figure  of  a  man  came  down  the  gangway, 
and  as  he  stepped  on  to  the  dock  Jack  walked 
over  to  him. 

** Excuse  me,  sir,"  he  said,  **but  is  there  any 
chance  of  a  job  on  your  boat?" 

The  man  stopped,  turned  suddenly,  and  stood 
looking  down  at  Jack  for  several  seconds,  then 
slowly  removed  his  pipe  from  his  mouth. 


MAKING  GOOD 


**Wlio  are  you?''  he  jerked  out  in  gruff  tones. 

**Jack  Young,  sir,  from  Jersey.'' 

*^H'm,"  growled  out  the  man,  who  happened 
to  be  the  captain  of  the  Jersey,  **so  you  want 
to  go  to  sea,  do  you?" 

*'Yes,  sir,"  replied  Jack,  ** that's  why  I  came 
to  Bristol,  and  seeing  that  your  boat  was 
named  the  Jersey,  I  thought  I'd  like  to  start 
my  life  as  a  sailor  on  her." 

**Well,  my  lad,  I  do  want  a  cabin  boy  as  it 
happens.  If  your  mind's  made  up,  just  follow 
me;"  saying  which  the  captain  turned  and 
walked  back  up  the  gangway.  Jack  followed 
him,  his  heart  palpitating  with  excitement,  for 
now  he  was  fairly  launched  on  the  big  adven- 
ture of  life  and  in  the  career  that  he  had 
dreamed  of  from  his  earliest  years. 

Let  us  take  a  good  look  at  Jack  Young  as  he 
stood  in  the  captain's  cabin  listening  to  the  de- 
tails of  his  duties  as  cabin  boy.  He  was  tall 
for  his  age,  clean-limbed,  and  with  a  healthy 
complexion,  the  result  of  an  active  outdoor  life 
on  his  father's  old  homestead  in  Jersey.  His 
hair  was  fair,  and  there  was  always  a  merry 
twinkle  in  his  blue  eyes.  His  confident  bearing 
gave  the  impression  of  a  boy  accustomed  to 
responsibility  and  ready  to  deal  with  any  emer- 


ON  BOARD  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY   5 

gency.  He  was  a  manly,  attractive-looking 
youngster,  and  his  looks  pleased  the  captain,  a 
man  difficult  to  please  even  in  his  most  amiable 
moods. 

**Now,  my  lad,''  he  was  saying  to  Jack,  **I 
want  no  shirkin'.  *Work'  is  my  middle  name, 
and  if  ever  I  catch  you  tryin'  to  dodge  it,  you'll 
wish  you'd  never  left  your  Jersey  to  come 
aboard  mine." 

This  abrupt  and  somewhat  brutal  speech  of 
the  captain's  rather  dismayed  Jack,  but  he  was 
soon  to  learn  that  the  life  of  cabin  boy  on  board 
a  sailing  schooner  was  not  quite  the  same  as  he 
had  pictured  it.  Furthermore,  he  had  been  un- 
fortunate in  signing  on  with  a  captain  who  was 
a  notorious  bully,  and  who  took  a  malicious 
pleasure  in  making  life  on  board  his  vessel  as 
unbearable  as  he  possibly  could.  Desertions 
from  his  ship  were  frequent,  and  his  evil  repu- 
tation made  it  difficult  for  him  to  get  together 
a  decent  crew.  He  was  of  a  type  fortunately 
rarely  found  nowadays  among  merchant  skip- 
pers— one  who  believed  more  in  the  efficacy  of 
a  rope's  end  than  of  a  kind  word. 

**Now,  my  lad,"  he  concluded,  at  the  same 
time  opening  the  door  of  his  cabin,  '^you  fol- 
low me  and  I'll  introduce  you  to  your  ship- 


6  MAKING  GOOD 

mates,  as  fine  a  bunch  of  rogues  and  cutthroats 
as  you'd  ever  wish  to  see,  but  they'll  soon  find 
that  *  Bully  Blair,'  as  they  kindly  call  me,  can 
manhandle  any  three  of  'em. 

^*Here  you,  Jones,"  he  called  as  a  tall,  well- 
built  sailor  passed  them,  *' here's  a  new  Md  I've 
taken  on  for  this  voyage ;  just  find  him  a  Ham- 
mock. He  says  he  wants  to  go  to  sea,  but  I 
shouldn't  be  surprised  if  he's  been  kicked  out 
of  his  home  an'  thinks  a  sailor's  life's  a 
picnic." 

As  the  captain  walked  away  Jack  found  him- 
self looking  up  into  the  cheery,  good-natured 
face  of  the  sailor  Jones. 

''Hello,  kid,"  he  said  genially,  ''glad  to  meet 
you.  Just  come  along  of  me  an'  I'll  fix  you  up. 
Wliat's  your  name,  kid?"  he  asked  as  they 
walked  away  together. 

"Jack  Young,"  replied  Jack  cheerfully,  his 
heart  going  out  in  instant  friendship  to  this 
tall,  good-natured  sailor. 

"A  nice-soundin '  name,  kid.  Mine's  Jones — 
Joe  Jones.  Down  this  way,  an'  mind  the  step." 

Presently  they  reached  the  crew's  quarters, 
a  not  very  cheery  place. 

"Here,  kid,  sit  down  on  this  chest  an'  tell  me 
something  about  yourself,  for  I  ain't  disguising 


ON  BOARD  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY   7 

the  fact  that  I'm  plumb  sorry  for  you,  for  this 
boat,  from  the  captain  downward,  is  a-carrying 
as  low-down  a  bunch  of  thugs  as  you'd  meet  in 
a  day's  march." 

Jack  told  the  friendly  and  sympathetic  Jones 
his  short  life  history. 

** That's  pretty  rough  on  you,  kid,"  he  re- 
marked sympathetically  when  Jack  had  fin- 
ished, **  having  to  leave  your  home  so  soon 
an'  start  out  to  paddle  your  own  canoe  afore 
you  scarcely  knows  how  to  handle  it.  Still, 
there's  nothing  like  beginning  on  your  own 
when  you're  young.  Now  take  meself  for  in- 
stance: I  was  cow-punching  in  Texas  when  I 
was  your  age;  in  fact,  I  grew  up  on  a  ranch, 
but  I  got  restless  an'  began  wandering,  and 
finally  I  became  a  kind  of  half-baked  sailor- 
man.  In  knocking  around  I've  met  with  some 
real  tough  guys  in  my  time,  men  who,  if  you 
looked  cross  at  'em,  would  draw  on  you,  an' 
I've  sailed  along  of  some  tough  old  crews;  but 
let  me  tell  you,  kid,  that  I'm  powerful  pleased 
to  have  you  for  a  shipmate,  for  you're  about 
the  first  white  man  I've  met  since  I  came  aboard 
this  boat.  Seeing  that  we  understand  each 
other,  and  knowing  that  you'll  treat  this  as 
confidential,  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that,  once 


8  MAKING  GOOD 

back  on  the  other  side,  I  'm  terminating  my  con- 
tract with  all  possible  speed  and  without  bid- 
ding the  captain  a  loving  farewell.'' 

**Well,  I  can't  say  that  you  sound  very  en- 
couraging," remarked  Jack  laughingly. 

**Well,  I  should  be  sorry  to  discourage  you, 
kid,  but  I've  crossed  over  on  this  boat  an'  I'm 
only  a-stayin'  on  it  until  I  get  back,  for  I  sure 
believe  that  a  reptile  would  side-step  to  get  out 
of  the  way  of  some  of  the  rogues  aboard  this 
boat.  And  without  wishing  to  say  mean  things 
behind  his  back,  I  believe  that  this  skipper  has 
got  'em  all  licked  for  murderous  instincts.  Not 
that  I'm  altogether  condemning  him,  for  you 
can't  treat  the  roughnecks  aboard  this  boat  in 
exactly  the  same  way  as  you'd  treat  a  Sunday- 
school  class.  But  now  I  must  be  going,  kid. 
Don't  you  worry,"  he  concluded  cheerily,  pat- 
ting Jack  on  the  shoulder,  **I'm  not  scared  of 
any  of  'em,  and  I'll  keep  an  eye  on  you." 

Jones  then  went  out  to  assist  in  getting  the 
schooner  under  way,  and  Jack  was  left  alone  for 
a  few  minutes.  This  was  a  big  change  from  the 
quiet,  hard-working  life  on  the  Jersey  home- 
stead and,  as  was  quite  natural,  he  felt  a  bit 
lonely  and  strange.  In  all  the  bright,  romantic 
pictures  his  vivid  imagination  had  painted  for 


ON  BOAED  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY   9 

him,  he  had  never  once  found  a  place  in  them 
for  anything  resembling  what  he  was  now  actu- 
ally experiencing.  And  it  was  as  well  that  he 
had  not,  or  it  would  have  spoiled  many  other- 
wise happy  hours. 

It  was  Jack's  first  test,  and  his  cheery  op- 
timism and  self-confidence  brought  him  through 
it  with  flying  colors.  The  slightly  dejected  look 
on  his  face  as  he  sat,  with  clasped  hands,  lean- 
ing forward  and  looking  out  into  the  gathering 
gloom  slowly  gave  way  to  a  look  of  determina- 
tion, then  a  smile  played  on  his  face,  and  finally 
he  commenced  whistling  a  cheery  tune.  Then  he 
felt  the  schooner  moving — there  was  no  turn- 
ing back  now !  He  was  leaving  behind  him  home 
and  friends,  and  as  he  thought  of  all  this 
meant  to  him  the  whistling  stopped  and  a  big 
lump  came  into  his  throat.  He  gulped  it  down 
and  bravely  whistled  the  same  cheery  tune. 

'* That's  the  stuff,  my  son,''  called  out  Jones 
as  he  burst  cheerily  into  the  fo'c's'le,  '^keep 
that  spirit  up  an'  you'll  make  good  wherever 
you  go.  But  hurry  along  to  the  captain's  cabin, 
for  he's  calling  for  you  and  you'd  better  try 
to  keep  in  the  old  man's  good  books.  He's  a 
reg'lar  tartar  if  he  thinks  you're  tryin'  to 
double-cross  him." 


10  MAKING  GOOD 

But  Jack  was  gone  before  Jones  had  finished 
talking,  for  he  was  desperately  anxious  to 
please  his  new  employer.  He  knocked  at  the 
captain's  cabin  door,  and  was  greeted  with  a 
scowl  when  he  entered. 

**Come,  my  lad,''  said  the  captain,  '^ don't 
you  be  goin'  and  forgettin'  the  advice  I  gave 
you.  I  want  no  shirkin'  an'  I  take  no  excuses. 
Now  get  me  a  cup  of  strong  coffee. ' ' 

Jack  hurried  out  to  find  the  captain's  cook 
— a  Chinaman. 

*^ Hello,  you  new  clabin  boy,  eh?"  said  the 
genial  Chinaman. 

**Yes,  that's  me,"  replied  Jack;  **a  cup  of 
strong  coffee  for  the  captain. ' ' 

**Velly  good,  velly  good;"  then,  **capitan's 
velly  bad  man  to  boys,"  shaking  his  head 
mournfully  and  eying  Jack  sympathetically. 

*  *  Oh,  he  seems  all  right,  John. ' ' 

But  John  shook  his  head  as  much  as  to  say, 
**ah,  but  you  just  wait  and  see;  you  may  think 
so  to-day,  but  wait  until  to-morrow." 

After  Jack  had  delivered  the  coffee  he  was 
bidden,  in  gruff  tones,  *  *  to  get  out  of  my  sight 
and  have  a  sleep." 

The  schooner  was  now  gliding  smoothly  down 
the  Bristol  Channel,  the  night  being  fine  with 


ON  BOARD  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY  11 

a  light  and  favorable  breeze  blowing.  Jack 
returned  to  the  crew^s  quarters  and  found  them 
crowded  with  seamen  whom  he  had  not  previ- 
ously seen.  In  one  comer  he  saw  his  friend 
Jones  busily  engaged  in  a  game  of  poker  with 
three  other  sailors.  He  walked  over  and  imme- 
diately received  a  cheery  greeting  from  Jones. 

** Captain  in  a  good  humor  to-night,  kid?" 

*'Not  bad/'  replied  Jack,  '*but  he  looks  the 
kind  of  man  that  could  knock  things  about  a 
bit  if  he  took  the  notion.'' 

**You're  right  there,"  returned  Jones  with 
emphasis,  *'a  dog  sufferin'  with  rabies  is  a 
reg'lar  cooin'  dove  compared  to  the  old  man 
when  he's  in  a  rage."  Then  Jones  gave  his 
attention  to  the  game  in  hand  while  Jack  took 
a  look  at  his  shipmates.  They  were  an  unkempt, 
im-English  looking  crowd,  and  Jack  could  bet- 
ter understand  the  force  of  some  of  Jones's 
remarks.  They  were  anything  but  a  Sunday- 
school  class,  and  the  skipper's  bullying  method 
was  probably  the  one  they  were  most  likely  to 
understand.  Jack  thought  it  very  doubtful 
whether  they  would  have  been  at  all  favorably 
impressed  by  gentler  treatment. 

He  next  turned  his  attention  to  the  three 
card  companions  of  Jones.  One  of  them,  by  his 


12  MAiaNG  GOOD 

looks  and  speech,  was  obviously  a  German, 
while  the  other  two  were  Russians.  Their  cruel, 
greedy  eyes  never  left  the  piles  of  money  by 
their  sides.  They  played  the  game  with  a  fierce 
intentness,  and,  as  Jack  had  been  quick  to  ob- 
serve previously,  they  angrily  resented  any  in- 
terruption. Jones  was  losing,  but  his  good 
humor  never  failed  him,  and  he  had  a  jocular 
remark  to  make  about  every  hand  played, 
whether  it  had  been  a  winning  or  a  losing  one. 
At  last  he  picked  up  a  hand  which  seemed  to 
please  him,  and  he  steadily  increased  his  bets 
until  the  German  was  the  only  other  bettor. 
He  had  raised  the  bet  another  shilling  when; 
Jack  saw  one  of  the  other  two  slip  a  card  to 
the  German. 

He  immediately  jumped  to  his  feet. 

*'Say,  Jones,''  he  called  out,  *  they're  cheat- 
ing you.  I  saw  that  man  there  pass  him  a 
card.'' 

There  was  an  immediate  uproar. 

**Dat  kid's  a  liar!"  called  out  the  German; 
**he  knows  noding  aboud  dis  game." 

**He's  not  a  liar,"  shouted  back  Jones;  **it's 
you  that's  a  liar,  an'  a  dirty  thief  in  the  bar- 
gain. ' ' 

They  were  all  on  their  feet  now  and  talking 


ON  BOAED  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY  13 

excitedly.  The  German  edged  over  toward 
Jack,  aimed  a  swift  blow  at  him,  and  knocked 
him  down.  Jones's  blood  was  np,  and  he 
promptly  stretched  out  the  German,  only  to  be 
attacked  by  the  other  two  men. 

Jack  got  np  on  to  his  feet  determined  to  help 
Jones,  when  he  saw  the  German  get  np  and 
reach  for  a  bottle.  He  raised  it  and  aimed  a 
blow  at  Jones's  head  that  wonld  have  laid  his 
sknll  open  had  it  got  home,  when  Jack  dashed 
in  and  took  the  blow  on  his  arm. 

Jones  had  dealt  speedily  and  effectively  with 
the  other  two  men,  and  now  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  German  who,  seeing  how  things 
were  going,  was  beating  a  hasty  retreat  through 
the  doorway.  Jones  then  turned  to  Jack  with 
outstretched  hand. 

**Put  it  there,  kid.  I  saw  what  you  did.  You 
took  a  blow  that  was  meant  for  me  and  saved 
me  from  a  broken  skull  at  the  least,  and  I  won't 
forget  it.  Sit  down  here,"  indicating  an  old 
box.  '*I'm  sorry  all  this  happened,  an'  I  ought 
to  know  better  than  to  play  cards  with  thugs 
like  these.  But  it's  just  as  well  for  you  to  know 
that  what 's  happened  is  no  unusual  occurrence. 
I  know  I  shouldn't  mix  meself  up  with  'em,  but 
what's  a  fellow  to  do?  He  can't  mope  in  a  cor- 


14  MAKING  GOOD 

ner.  My,  bnt  I'm  powerful  pleased  you  came 
aboard,  for  I  sure  needed  some  white  man's 
company!  But  this  is  no  life  for  you,  kid;  it's 
no  life  for  me,  and  I  reckon  I'm  tougher  than 
you  are.  Now  I  think  I  know  something  about 
how  you  feel,  and  the  wonderful  pictures  you've 
been  painting  for  yourself  of  a  sailor's  life,  but 
it  don't  always  pan  out.  Besides,  you've  been 
unlucky  in  starting  aboard  the  Jersey^  for  it's 
a  real  tough  life  we  live,  and  unfitted  for  a  boy 
like  you.  Now  I  'm  going  to  make  a  proposition 
to  you  for  you  to  think  over.  Wliat  about  com- 
ing West  with  me  when  we  hit  into  Halifax,  the 
port  the  Jersey's  bound  for?" 

**Well,  that's  kind  of  you,  and  I'll  think  it 
over,"  replied  Jack.  *^You  see,  I'd  like  to  try 
this  kind  of  life,  for  I've  always  had  a  longing 
to  be  a  sailor." 

*' That's  all  right,  you  think  it  over.  Now 
you  just  turn  in  for  a  sleep,  for  you'll  have  to 
be  up  bright  an'  early  in  the  momin'.  What- 
ever you  do,  don't  get  into  the  old  man's  black 
books  if  you  can  help  it.  That  will  only  make 
bad  worse." 

Jack  was  only  too  pleased  to  turn  in.  The 
time  that  had  passed  since  he  had  left  Jersey 


ON  BOARD  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY  15 

had  been  full  of  novel  and  strange  experiences, 
which  had  culminated  in  the  exciting  fight  in 
which  he  had  taken  a  part.  He  was  also  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  he  could  make  his 
life  bearable  in  his  present  surroundings  only 
by  giving  no  cause  for  complaint. 

It  was  still  dark  when  he  woke  up  with 
strange  and  sickly  sensations.  The  schooner 
was  now  fairly  out  at  sea  and  was  rolling  con- 
siderably. Jack  was  at  a  loss  to  understand 
what  was  wrong  with  him.  The  smells  from 
the  cook's  galley  adjoining  were  nauseating; 
he  was  suffocating,  he  must  get  out  in  the  open 
— a  breath  of  air  and  he  would  be  quite  all  right. 
So  he  dropped  out  of  his  hammock  to  the  floor, 
staggered  to  the  doorway,  and  up  the  steps  lead- 
ing to  the  deck.  He  felt  faint  and  dizzy,  but 
was  revived  by  the  strong  breeze  blowing.  It 
was  a  blustering,  dirty  night  and  the  tossing 
waters  looked  menacing  and  unfriendly.  But 
the  strong,  reviving  breeze,  how  thankful  he 
was  for  it!  All  was  quiet  on  deck.  The  wind 
filled  the  towering  sails,  and  the  Jersey  was 
making  good  progress.  Presently  the  faint  light 
of  dawn  appeared,  and  the  indistinguishable 
things  gradually  took  shape.  He  thought  he 
recognized  the  figure  at  the  wheel,  well  pro- 


16  MAKING  GOOD 

tected  in  oilskins.  Yes,  it  was  Jones,  so  he  de 
cided  to  go  over  and  have  a  chat  with  him. 

** Hello,  Jones,''  he  called  out,  **want  any 
help?'' 

Jones  turned  his  head,  and  a  bright,  wel- 
coming smile  lit  up  his  face. 

*^ Hello,  kid,"  he  answered  cheerily,  ** climb 
up  alongside  an'  let's  have  the  news." 

Jack  scrambled  up  and  joined  him. 

*  *  Up  early  this  morning,  eh !  Has  the  old  man 
been  after  you?" 

*  ^  No ;  woke  up  feeling  a  bit  queer,  so  thought 
a  breath  of  air  would  do  me  good,"  replied 
Jack. 

**0h,  so  that's  your  trouble,  eh?"  continued 
Jones,  laughing  heartily.  **Well,  you'll  feel 
worse  yet,  kid,  afore  you  feel  better.  We  all 
go  through  it,  and  it's  no  joke,  I  know;  but 
fight  it  down  if  you  can,  for  the  old  man's  a 
holy  terror  if  you're  not  always  on  the  job." 

**0h,  I'll  soon  be  all  right,"  replied  Jack 
jauntily,  though  his  looks  rather  belied  his 
words. 

**0f  course  you  will.  I  wanted  to  see  you  to 
put  you  on  your  guard,  for  those  dagos  we  had 
the  mix-up  with  are  powerful  treacherous,  an' 


ON  BOARD  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY  17 

it'd  be  wise  to  keep  on  the  lookout.  They  don't 
fight  fair  like  a  white  man,  an '  you  need  a  pair 
of  eyes  in  the  back  of  your  head  to  watch  for 
all  they're  up  to." 

'^Thanks  for  the  hint,"  replied  Jack,  '^I'll 
be  on  the  lookout." 

After  a  few  minutes  he  left  Jones  and  went 
along  to  the  galley  of  the  captain's  cook.  The 
excellent  little  Chinaman  was  busily  preparing 
the  captain's  breakfast. 

'*H'm,  capitan  send  you  'long  for  bleakfast, 
eh?"  queried  John. 

*'No,  he's  still  asleep,"  replied  Jack;  **be 
back  in  a  minute,  John,"  he  continued,  and 
made  a  wild  rush  for  the  door. 

Ugh,  how  he  hated  food !  Still,  he  must  not 
give  way  to  the  horrible  feeling;  he  must  fight 
it  down,  as  Jones  had  advised  him. 

As  the  day  wore  on  the  wind  became  more 
blustering,  and  the  schooner  tossed  and  pitched 
in  a  way  that  was  alarming  to  Jack.  He  felt 
horribly  sick  and  dizzy,  and  only  got  through 
his  work  by  the  greatest  effort.  At  night  he 
crawled  into  a  comer  of  the  fo'c's'le,  too  weak 
to  attempt  to  get  into  his  hammock,  and  was 
soon  asleep  from  sheer  exhaustion  and  fatigue. 


18  MAKING  GOOD 

The  next  morning  he  struggled  to  his  feet, 
determined  to  fight  it  out  with  nature,  but 
nature  easily  assumed  the  mastery  and  Jack 
lay  beaten.  Jones  came  over  to  him. 

**Say,  kid,  can't  you  pull  your  oar  to-day? 
Say  so  if  you  can't  an'  I'll  look  after  the  old 
man  for  you." 

** Sorry,"  replied  Jack,  **but  I  simply  can't 
stand ;  never  felt  so  ill  in  all  my  life. ' ' 

'* Don't  you  worry,"  replied  the  good-natured 
sailor.  *^I'll  do  enough  to  keep  the  old  man 
away  from  you." 

Jack  thanked  him  and  subsided  into  the 
stupor  from  which  Jones  had  aroused  him.  The 
hours  passed  unheeded  by  Jack,  and  he  was 
left  undisturbed.  The  schooner  rocked  and 
shook  from  the  steadily  growing  gale,  and  the 
following  morning  found  Jack  lying  in  the  same 
stupor.  Toward  noon  the  gale  reached  its  high- 
est pitch,  and  the  sufferings  of  Jack  became 
more  acute.  By  night,  however,  the  wind  had 
subsided,  and  Jack  had  dropped  off  into  a  mer- 
ciful sleep  when  he  was  suddenly  aroused  by 
a  feeling  of  pain.  He  awoke — startled  to  find 
the  captain's  form  towering  over  him. 

*'Come  on,  you  lazy  young  brat,"  he  roared, 


ON  BOARD  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY  19 

continuing  to  kick  Jack,  **up  yon  get.  You  can't 
expect  full-grown  sailors  to  be  always  doing 
your  work.*' 

Jack  somehow  struggled  to  his  feet,  faint  and 
dizzy.  He  looked  so  ill  that  even  *^ Bully  Blair'' 
almost  repented  of  his  harshness.  After  he  had 
gone  Jack  dragged  himself  up  on  deck  and  felt 
better  for  the  fresh,  strong  breeze.  It  was  sup- 
per time,  so  he  went  along  to  the  cook's  galley. 

*^0h,  you  came  back,  eh?"  remarked  John. 
*^You  sick?  Oh,  velly  bad,  velly  bad.  Chinee 
sick  too,  no  cook  capitan's  bleakfast,  capitan 
kick  Chinee  so,"  maldng  a  wild  lunge  with  his 
foot;  ^^him  velly  bad  man,"  he  concluded. 

The  next  morning  Jack  felt  a  little  better, 
though  weak. 

*^The  old  man  treated  you  pretty  rough  last 
night,  kid,  eh?"  queried  Jones. 

'* Rather!"  replied  Jack.  *^I  can  still  feel  it, 
but  perhaps  it  did  me  good,  for  I  am  better 
to-day. ' ' 

^'You'll  be  all  right  now;  but  don't  forget 
what  I  told  you:  keep  your  eye  skinned  for 
those  dagos.  I've  turned  around  quick  once 
or  twice  and  found  them  skulking  suspiciously 


20  MAKING  GOOD 

behind  me.  That's  the  worst  of  a  dago,  he  can 
never  take  a  lickin'  an'  forget  it.'' 

It  was  jnst  before  dark,  and  Jack  was  lean- 
ing over  the  rail  with  his  face  to  the  strong 
breeze  that  was  blowing.  He  was  feeling  bet- 
ter but  still  very  weak.  He  was  thinking  over 
the  offer  Jones  had  made  him.  Up  to  the  pres- 
ent his  life  as  a  sailor  had  not  been  a  brilliant 
success.  He  heard  footsteps  behind  him,  and 
turned  in  time  to  see  the  German  and  another 
man  slink  away.  Jones  was  right,  he  thought; 
he'd  have  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  these  men 
whose  enmity  he  had  aroused.  His  only  friend 
on  the  schooner  was  Jones,  and  he  thought  what 
a  dismal,  dreary,  unhappy  life  it  would  be  if 
he  left,  as  he  said  he  intended  doing.  He  turned 
to  walk  away  and  saw  Jones  approaching. 

** Hello,"  called  out  Jones,  ** still  feeling 
bad?" 

**0h,  not  so  bad  now,  thanks,"  replied  Jack. 
**I've  just  been  thinking  what  a  rotten  time 
I'd  have  here  if  you  were  gone,  and  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  go  with 
you. ' ' 

**Well,  I'll  be  mighty  pleased  to  have  your 
company. '  * 


ON  BOARD  THE  SCHOONER  JERSEY  21 

**Tell  me  something  about  your  plans,  and 
what  life  is  like  on  a  Western  ranch." 

When  they  separated  Jack  had  quite  made 
up  his  mind  about  the  future ;  he  would  go  with 
Jones  and  qualify  himself,  as  Jones  described 
it,  as  a  * 'full-grown  cow-puncher." 


CHAPTER  n 

THE  DESEETEES 

AFTER  Jack  had  made  the  decision  to 
accompany  his  friend  Jones  to  the  Cana- 
dian Northwest  he  became  more  buoyant  in 
spirit,  and  cheerfully  endured  the  hardships  of  a 
sailor's  life,  the  violent  temper  of  the  old  man, 
and  the  company  of  his  undesirable  shipmates. 
At  first  he  did  not  like  the  idea  of  deserting  the 
Jersey,  but  Jones  soon  disposed  of  his  scruples 
for  him. 

**You  know,''  he  would  say,  *' company  like 
you  are  in  here  is  not  good  for  you,  an'  the 
captain  has  no  claim  on  your  loyalty.  He'd 
just  as  soon  knock  you  down  as  look  at  you." 
All  of  which  was  quite  true,  for  Jack  was  in- 
deed having  a  rough  and  trying  time.  He  now 
only  longed  for  the  day  when  the  Jersey  would 
reach  Halifax.  The  one  bright  spot  in  his  life 
was  his  friendship  with  Jones,  and  his  happiest 
hours  were  spent  in  listening  to  the  stories  the 
sailor  told  Mm  of  his  cowboy  days. 

Jack^  with  his  passionate  love  for  horses, 

22 


THE  DESERTERS  23 

reveled  in  the  descriptions  that  Jones  gave  of 
them — horses,  more  than  half  wild,  that  could 
be  conquered  only  by  the  greatest  skill,  perse- 
verance, and  patience.  And  the  thrilling  de- 
scriptions of  ^  ^  round-ups, ' '  of  days  and  nights 
spent  in  the  saddle,  of  the  herding  together  of 
thousands  of  cattle  and  steering  them  for  miles 
across  the  open  prairie,  appealed  to  Jack's 
ready  imagination. 

His  first  love  of  the  sea  was  dying  quickly, 
and  it  could  hardly  be  wondered  at  after  his 
unfortunate  experiences.  A  desire  for  the  wide 
spaces  of  the  rolling  prairie  was  growing  up 
within  him,  and  he  longed  for  the  time  to  come 
when  he  could  quietly  slip  away  from  the  Jersey 
and  start  out  on  the  trek  to  the  great  West. 

At  last  the  town  of  Halifax,  perched  on  the 
hill,  became  distinguishable  through  the  mist 
hanging  over  it,  and  as  the  Jersey  entered  the 
smooth  waters  of  its  spacious  harbor  Jack 
thrilled  with  the  anticipation  of  the  new  life 
ahead  of  him.  The  daily  talks  with  Jones  had 
given  him  a  vivid  picture  of  an  adventurous, 
open-air  life,  and  his  buoyant  spirit  could  find 
nothing  in  it  that  was  not  full  of  brilliant  prom- 
ise. After  the  Jersey  had  docked  it  was  too 
late  to  begin  unloading  operations  that  day,  so, 


24  MAKING  GOOD 

after  consultation  with  Jones,  it  was  decided  to 
slip  quietly  away  that  night. 

**I  know  it  isn't  playin'  the  game  to  beat  it 
afore  the  Jersey^s  unloaded/'  remarked  Jones, 
as  he  hastily  packed  a  few  things  into  a  bundle, 
*^but  the  skipper  hasn't  played  the  game  him- 
self; he's  never  missed  an  opportunity  to  cuff 
you  and  swear  at  you,  and  he  don't  deserve  no 
better  of  you  than  what  you  are  doing."  He 
paused  and  looked  up. 

**I  suppose  you're  broke?"  he  inquired. 

'  *  Well,  just  about, ' '  replied  Jack.  *  *  I  've  only 
sixteen  shillings  and  an  odd  copper  or  two." 

^^Well,  you've  got  more  than  I  have,  kid.  I 
did  have  a  few  pounds  when  we  left  Bristol, 
but  lost  it  playing  poker.  Take  a  tip  from  me : 
keep  away  from  cards;  it's  a  real  mug's  game. 
It  doesn't  matter  how  much  money  you  earn, 
you'll  never  have  a  red  cent  if  you  dabble 
in  cards.  I  don't  say  that  everybody  that  plays 
cards  is  a  crook,  but  I  do  say  that  everybody 
that's  a  crook  plays  cards,  and  pretty  often  it's 
darned  hard  to  sort  'em  out.  Besides,  you're 
apt  to  quarrel  and  fall  out  with  your  best  friend 
over  a  game,  and  you  never  have  enough  horse 
sense  to  stop  playing  until  you're  broke.  But 
for  you  I  might  have  been  a  dead  un,  and  all 


THE  DESEETEES  25 

over  a  game  of  cards.  I  hope  you  don't  think 
I'm  preaching  at  yon,  but  IVe  taken  a  great 
fancy  to  yon,  and  I'm  only  telling  yon  a  few 
things  for  your  own  good  that  I  know  to  be 
true.  Now  what  about  it,  kid,  shall  we  beat  it  ?  " 

'*Yes,  I'm  ready  when  you  are,"  replied 
Jack.  The  sailor  led  the  way  while  Jack,  tin- 
gling with  excitement,  followed  closely  behind. 
On  deck  all  was  quiet,  but  noises  of  revelry  and 
drunken  brawls  came  from  the  brightly  lighted 
saloons  adjoining  the  docks.  It  was  a  dirty  and 
undesirable  part  of  the  fair  city  of  Halifax,  and 
it  was  frequented  by  a  very  cosmopolitan  and 
quarrelsome  crowd.  No  self-respecting  citizen 
familiar  with  its  reputation  was  ever  to  be 
found  haunting  its  shadowy  alleyways,  and 
policemen  never  patrolled  their  beat  except  in 
pairs.  As  Jones  had  said,  it  was  an  easy  mat- 
ter to  get  away  from  the  Jersey.  He  himself 
was  as  nimble  as  a  sailor  ought  to  be,  and  he 
found  a  good  second  in  Jack.  As  they  stood  on 
the  dock  he  turned  round  and  whispered  to 
Jack: 

**We  might  as  well  dodge  the  dock  police,  for 
they  most  likely  will  ask  awkward  questions. 
We'll  make  for  the  railway  sidings  just  behind 
those  houses,  and  I'll  give  you  your  first  les- 


26  MAKING  GOOD 

son  on  how  to  travel  cheap  across  the  continent 
when  you  are  broke/' 

By  a  little  patient  waiting,  it  was  an  easy 
matter  to  dodge  the  dock  police,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  they  were  comfortably  seated  on  the 
floor  of  one  of  the  spacious  box  cars  to  be  found 
only  on  the  American  continent. 

*^Now,''  commenced  Jones,  **our  first  job  is 
to  find  a  freight  express  goin'  to  Montreal,  for 
that  is  our  first  stopping  place.  You  see,  IVe 
got  no  money  at  all,  and  yours  would  hardly 
pay  our  fare  out  of  sight  of  Halifax.  This  is  no 
new  game  to  me,  for  IVe  traveled  all  over  the 
American  continent  and  it  has  cost  me  nary  a 
cent.  We  call  it  *bummin'  your  road,'  and  you'll 
be  surprised  the  number  of  nice,  self-respecting 
folk  you  meet  traveling  the  same  way.  I  don't 
say  it's  always  pleasant  and  that  the  railroad 
men  exactly  shake  you  by  the  hand  when  they 
meet  you,  for  they've  got  a  nasty  habit  of  stop- 
ping the  train  and  dumping  you  off  at  all  kinds 
of  inconvenient  places;  but  still,  if  you're  lucky 
and  can  make  yourself  look  like  a  bale  of  cotton 
goods  when  they're  passing  by,  you  usually  get 
to  your  destination  without  a  lot  of  incon- 
venience. 

**Now,  you  wait  here,  and  I'll  pick  the  best 


THE  DESERTBES  27 

seat  for  you  on  the  express/'  Jones  then 
climbed  out  of  the  box  car  and  disappeared  into 
the  darkness.  He  had  only  been  away  for  a  few 
minutes  when  Jack  heard  him  approaching, 
engaged  in'  a  heated  altercation  with  some  one. 

**I'm  telling  you/'  he  was  saying,  *^that  I'm 
only  taking  a  short  cut  from  the  docks  to  the 
station. ' ' 

**Now,  you  beat  it  away  from  here  as  quick 
as  your  long  legs  will  take  you, ' '  was  the  reply ; 
** we've  heard  yams  like  yours  before,  and 
we're  on  the  lookout  for  people  like  you.  If  you 
were  taking  a  short  cut,  why  were  you  so  mighty 
interested  in  the  freight  express  that's  pullin' 
out  to  Montreal?"  (Jones  chuckled  inwardly 
at  this  last  remark,  for  now  he  was  sure  of  the 
destination  of  the  freight  train  around  which 
he  had  been  caught  prowling  by  one  of  the  rail- 
road officials  on  duty.) 

*' Well,"  retorted  Jones  angrily,  *^ can't  a  fel- 
low show  a  little  interest  in  a  freight  train  with- 
out being  suspected  of  wantin'  to  board  itT' 

''Sure  he  can,"  was  the  reply,  ''provided  no- 
body sees  him." 

They  were  now  passing  the  box  car  in  which 
Jack  was  sheltered,  so  Jones  took  advantage  to 
give  him  a  tip. 


28  MAKING  GOOD 

*^I'm  enjoyin'  your  company  real  fine/'  he 
remarked  genially;  ** perhaps  you'd  like  to  see 
me  safely  on  to  the  station  platform?'' 

**Yes,  I  would,"  came  back  the  reply  without 
hesitation;  '*and  whether  you're  enjoying  my 
company  or  not,  I  don't  intend  to  leave  you 
tintil  I  see  you  there." 

Jack  took  the  hint,  stepped  quietly  to  the 
ground,  and  kept  Jones  and  his  persistent  com- 
panion in  sight.  He  crept  along  in  the  shadows 
until  he  saw  that  Jones  was  alone,  the  other 
having  returned  to  his  duty,  and  then  hurried 
toward  him. 

The  sailor  had  a  broad  grin  on  his  face. 

**It's  all  right,"  he  remarked  in  a  low  tone. 
**I've  picked  out  a  good  comfortable  seat  for 
us  in  a  car  loaded  with  baled  hay.  I  was  just 
returning  for  you  when  that  chap  spotted  me 
and  insisted  on  keeping  me  company.  I  tried 
to  give  you  the  tip  when  we  passed  the  car  you 
were  sitting  in,  and  I  see  you  caught  on.  We're 
fairly  in  luck's  way,  for  the  engine's  already 
hitched  on  ready  to  pull  out,  and  the  sooner  we 
get  away  from  Halifax  the  better.  Just  follow 
me,  and  we'll  be  on  that  freight  inside  of  five 
minutes." 

TEey  carefully  picked  their  way  back  to  the 


THE  DESERTEES  29 

freight  train,  taking  advantage  of  the  darkest 
places.  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  climb  into  the 
car,  for  there  were  a  number  of  officials  carry- 
ing lanterns  bnsily  engaged  around  the  train. 

^^Just  follow  me,''  Jones  whispered;  **I'll 
climb  up  on  to  the  car  and  give  you  a  hand  up, 
but  we'll  have  to  be  slick  or  else  these  railway 
men  will  get  us." 

He  seized  the  first  opportunity,  and  ran 
toward  a  box  car,  vaulted  lightly  into  it,  and 
then  turned  and  gave  his  hand  to  Jack,  who 
had  followed  closely  behind.  The  only  real 
space  in  the  car  was  at  the  top,  so  Jones  climbed 
up  and  then  pulled  Jack  up  after  him. 

** That's  fine,"  said  Jones,  breathing  heavily. 
**We're  on  the  through  express  freight  train 
to  Montreal,  and  here's  a  fine  berth  on  a  luxu- 
rious sleeping  car  free  of  charge !  Oh,  but  this 
is  a  great  life  when  you  know  the  ropes.  And 
now  for  something  to  eat.  It's  only  a  few  of 
these  old  ship  biscuits  and  a  tin  of  beef  I  man- 
aged to  pinch,  but  washed  down  with  a  drink 
of  water  out  of  this  flask  it'll  taste  real  fine." 

**Say,  if  you've  got  some  water  there,  for  the 
love  of  Mike  pass  it  over. ' ' 

Both  Jack  and  Jones  looked  up,  startled,  for, 
much  to  their  amazement,  they  found  that  they 


30  MAKING  GOOD 

were  not  alone.  Jones  was  the  first  to  recover. 

*  *  Sure, '  *  he  said  cheerily,  and  passed  over  the 
flask.  Their  new-found  companion  made  no  fur- 
ther remark  until  he  had  taken  a  good  long 
drink.  He  handed  the  flask  back  to  Jones. 

** Don't  talk  so  loud  until  we  get  started.  I've 
been  lying  here  since  last  night,  and  I  wouldn  't 
take  it  kin'dly  if  I  got  booted  out  at  the  last 
minute. ' ' 

**A11  right,"  whispered  Jones,  **I  was  for- 
getting meself ,  for  I  ought  to  know  better. ' ' 

They  all  lay  quiet,  until,  about  fifteen  minutes 
later,  the  clanging  of  the  bell  on  the  engine 
announced  the  train's  immediate  departure. 
There  were  anxious  moments  during  this 
period,  particularly  when  several  men  came  to 
a  pause  alongside  the  box  car  they  were  in  and 
stood  talking,  for,  as  Jones  and  their  new-found 
companion  very  well  knew,  it  was  not  infre- 
quent that  a  systematic  search  was  made 
throughout  the  whole  of  a  train,  and  then  it 
was  surprising  to  see  the  amount  of  excess 
human  freight  that  was  collected  out  of  it  and 
dispersed.  They  all  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  when 
at  last  the  train  was  in  motion,  and  then  Jones 
immediately  set  about  the  preparation  of  the 


THE  DESEETEES  31 

evening  meal.  In  reply  to  an  invitation  to  join 
them,  their  new  acquaintance  said : 

^*WeIl,  boys,  I  should  certainly  say  so,  seeing 
that  Vve  had  nary  a  bite  of  food  or  a  drink  of 
water  for  nearly  two  days.  It's  a  real  godsend 
yon  boys  getting  on  this  car,  for  it  '11  be  the  best 
part  of  two  days  afore  we  git  to  Montreal.'' 

^^Yes,"  replied  Jones,  **the  food  an'  drink 
question  is  the  most  inconvenient  thing  'bout 
cheap  traveling." 

The  meal  over,  they  all  settled  comfortably 
down  for  the  night.  The  hay  made  a  nice,  soft, 
comfortable  bed,  and  Jack  was  soon  sleeping 
soundly.  It  was  daylight  when  Jones  woke  him. 

**Come  on,  wake  up,"  he  said  cheerily; 
**  breakfast  is  all  ready  and  waiting,  and  no 
captain  to  throw  his  sea  boots  at  you. ' ' 

^'Eighto,"  replied  Jack,  sitting  up  and  rub- 
bing the  sleep  out  of  his  eyes. 

**I'm  sorry,"  apologized  Jones,  **that  we've 
not  got  much  variety  on  the  menu,  the  only  dif- 
ference in  meals  being  that  we  call  'em  by  a 
different  name.  For  instance,  last  night's  meal 
was  supper,  and  this  one  is,  as  the  Chinee  cook 
would  call  it,  *bleakfast.'  " 

Jack  did  not  mind  this  in  the  least,  for  the 


32  MAKING  GOOD 

food  on  the  Jersey  could  not  by  any  means  be 
called  dainty,  and,  besides,  he  was  so  thor- 
oughly enjoying  these  new  experiences  that  he 
was  quite  prepared  to  suffer  any  incidental 
hardships.  Fortunately  it  was  a  warm  autumn 
day,  and  they  were  cozy  and  comfortable.  The 
freight  train  rattled  along  at  a  good  speed,  and 
Jack's  excitement  at  the  prospect  of  life  on  a 
ranch  out  West  increased  with  each  mile  that 
was  covered. 

^*Say,  Jones,'*  he  asked,  **I  would  like  to 
hear  of  some  more  of  your  experiences  as  a 
cow-puncher.'' 

** Would  you?"  replied  Jones.  **Well,  we 
have  lots  of  time  to  spare,  and  there 's  not  much 
to  see  out  of  this  Pullman,  so  I  '11  tell  you  about 
one  of  the  wildest  but  handsomest-looking 
young  mares  you  would  ever  wish  to  see.  We 
ran  her  into  the  corral  along  with  a  bunch  of 
young  horses  from  the  range  that  we  intended 
to  break  in  to  riding.  She  was  a  real  wild-look- 
ing creature,  an'  I  had  my  eye  on  her  from  the 
first  day.  She  didn't  seem  to  pal  on  to  the  rest 
of  the  horses,  and  wouldn  't  even  sniff  at  the  hay 
we  threw  in  to  her.  But  she  was  a  real  beauty 
to  look  at — a  kind  of  golden  sorrel,  and  limbs 
slick  an'  clean  looking.    We  had  no  end  of 


THE  DESEETERS  33 

trouble  to  cut  her  out  from  the  rest  of  the  bunch 
and  get  her  into  the  corral  by  herself.  We  had 
a  half-breed  Indian  named  Joe  Tatham  who 
did  all  the  roping,  for  he  was  about  the  slickest 
man  at  handling  a  rope  that  I  ever  did  see.  Joe 
walked  into  the  corral  pretty  confident,  for 
there  wasn't  a  living  thing  that  Joe  wouldn't 
put  his  rope  over,  when  the  mare  turns  round, 
sees  him  standing  there  with  the  rope,  and 
instead  of  doing  her  best  to  get  as  far  away 
from  him  as  she  could,  which  all  of  them  usually 
do,  she  starts  toward  Joe  at  a  mad  gallop,  teeth 
bared  like  a  dog.  This  was  most  unexpected, 
and  Joe  only  just  managed  to  side-step  and  get 
out  of  her  way.  She  wheeled  round  and  came 
back  at  him  again.  This  was  too  much  for  Joe, 
so  he  lost  no  time  in  making  for  the  corral 
fence.  She  then  stood  there  snorting  an'  rolling 
her  eyes  as  if  defying  the  rest  of  creation  to 
master  her.  In  a  few  minutes  Joe  was  back  in 
the  corral — not  on  foot  this  time,  but  on  the 
back  of  a  pony.  He  didn't  waste  much  time 
before  he  dropped  his  rope  over  her  and  threw 
her  on  her  back.  Two  or  three  of  us  ran  in,  tied 
her,  and  strapped  a  stock  saddle  on  her  back. 
And  then  started  some  fun,  for  every  man  on 
the  ranch  tried  to  stay  on  her  back,  but  she  threw 


34  MAKING  GOOD 

us  all.  Three  of  us  she  put  clean  over  the  cor- 
ral fence,  she  broke  the  leg  of  *  Broncho  Jim/ 
one  of  the  best  riders  on  the  range,  and  gener- 
ally played  old  Harry  with  the  whole  crowd. 
Finally  we  had  to  let  her  go,  an'  the  last  I  saw 
of  her  she  was  on  the  range  with  a  young  foal 
alongside  of  her.  If  he  took  after  his  mother, 
then  I  guess  some  cow-punchers  have  had  a  little 
of  their  pride  taken  out  of  'em.''  Incidents  of 
this  sort,  of  which  Jones  had  an  apparently 
limitless  store,  fired  Jack's  imagination  and 
also  helped  to  while  away  the  time;  so  that, 
despite  the  limitations  of  space  and  the  monot- 
ony of  traveling.  Jack  was  thoroughly  enjoying 
himself. 

Their  companion  had  little  to  say,  spending 
most  of  his  time  sleeping.  He  was  not  the  type 
of  ** gentleman  hobo"  frequently  met  with,  the 
man  who,  down  on  his  luck,  and  not  fitted  for 
any  useful  trade  or  profession,  slips  into  this 
nomad  life,  and,  good  philosopher  as  he  is,  gets 
more  pleasure  than  discomfort  out  of  it. 

At  noon  of  the  second  day  the  supply  of  food 
and  water  ran  out,  so  they  all  fervently  hoped 
that  Montreal  would  soon  be  reached.  As  Jones 
said,  their  luck  was  in,  for  shortly  before  dark 
the  freight  train  pulled  into  the  goods  sidings 


THE  DESEETERS  35 

at  Montreal.  They  waited  until  it  was  dark, 
and  then  slipped  qnietly  out  of  the  box  car, 
glad  in  the  freedom  to  exercise  their  limbs 
again.  They  bid  a  hasty  farewell  to  their  com- 
panion and,  walking  at  a  rapid  pace,  they  were 
soon  clear  of  the  depot.  Jones  knew  Montreal, 
particularly  the  places  where  cheap  meals  and 
lodgings  were  to  be  had,  and  as  they  walked 
along,  he  confided  his  plans  to  Jack. 

*  *  The  first  thing  we  Ve  got  to  do  is  to  have  a 
good  sluice  down  at  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  place  I  know 
of  where  you  can  get  a  good  hot  bath  for  a 
nickel;  after  that  there's  a  restaurant  kept  by 
a  Chinaman  where  you  can  get  all  you  want  to 
eat  for  two-bits  (twenty-five  cents),  and  then 
we'll  go  on  to  a  place  where  you  can  get  a  com- 
fortable bed  for  another  two-bits.  After  which 
we'll  lay  in  a  stock  of  grub  and  board  another 
*hobo  express'  for  the  "West.  I'll  spend  to-mor- 
row scouting  around  the  goods  depot  to  find  the 
likeliest  freight  to  suit  our  purpose." 

Jack  was  quite  satisfied  to  leave  everything 
to  his  companion's  greater  experience,  being 
confident  that  everything  would  go  smooth. 
After  they  had  had  their  bath,  Jones  apolo- 
gized to  Jack  for  his  lack  of  funds. 

**I'm  real  sorry  that  I've  got  to  draw  on 


36  MAKING  GOOD 

your  funds/'  he  remarked.  **I  could  easily  get 
a  job  here  for  a  few  days,  but  I  guess  you  are 
as  keen  as  I  am  to  get  moving  again." 

**Sure  I  am/'  replied  Jack,  **and  you  are 
quite  welcome  to  the  little  money  I  have.  But 
for  you  I  don't  know  how  on  earth  I  should 
have  managed.  I  don't  suppose  I  should  ever 
have  got  away  from  Halifax,  and  then  most 
likely  that  brute  of  a  captain  would  have  found 
me  and  dragged  me  back  aboard  of  the  Jersey 
to  treat  me  worse  than  ever." 

**Well,  and  that's  quite  likely  what  would 
have  happened,"  said  Jones. 

After  the  bath  they  went  down  to  the  Chinese 
restaurant  and,  after  the  rough  fare  on  the 
Jersey  and  the  still  more  undesirable  food  on 
the  journey  from  Halifax,  the  meal  was  a  feast 
to  Jack  of  the  most  delightful  description.  The 
bed,  too,  was  a  good  one,  a  very  pleasant  con- 
trast to  being  jostled  on  the  top  of  a  bale  of 
hay  in  a  dark,  stuffy  box  car. 

The  following  day  was  a  busy  one,  and  the 
little  money  that  was  left  was  judiciously 
expended  by  Jones  in  purchasing  the  right  kind 
of  foodstuffs,  not  too  bulky  but  satisfying  and 
nourishing.  Jones  went  out  ** scouting,"  as  he 
said,  leaving  Jack  to  fill  in  time  as  best  he 


THE  DESERTERS  37 

could.  After  an  absence  of  about  two  hours  lie 
returned  with  a  look  of  triumph  on  his  face. 

'^It's  all  right/'  he  announced  boisterously 
and  cheerily;  *^our  luck's  still  in.  I've  got  my 
eye  on  a  nice  cozy  seat  for  two  on  a  freight 
that  is  going  through  to  Fort  William.  Think 
of  it;  all  the  way  to  Fort  William,  and  she's 
pulling  out  at  eleven  o'clock  to-night." 

Shortly  after  nine  o'clock  Jones  and  Jack, 
each  carrying  a  small  bundle  of  food,  might 
have  been  seen  moving  quickly  and  stealthily 
in  the  direction  of  a  freight  train  already  made 
up.  There  were  quite  a  number  of  officials  mov- 
ing about,  so  they  made  for  the  first  box  car, 
pulled  back  the  sliding  door  until  they  could 
squeeze  in,  and  closed  it  quietly  and  slowly. 
Jones  felt  around,  and  gave  vent  to  his  disap- 
pointment as  he  touched  only  the  hard,  sharp 
edges  of  boxes. 

**  Afraid  our  luck  has  taken  a  turn,  for 
there 's  nothing  around  here  that  feels  like  mak- 
ing a  comfortable  bed.  Still,  we'll  just  sit  on 
one  of  these  boxes  until  she  starts,  and  then  I 
can  strike  a  light  and  see  if  there's  anything 
to  make  a  bed  for  you." 

'* Don't  mind  about  me,"  said  Jack.  **I  can 
rough  it  just  as  well  as  you  can." 


38  MAKING  GOOD 

*'0h,  I  don't  doubt  that/'  replied  Jones,  **biit 
you  ain't  used  to  this  kind  of  thing  the  same  as 
lam." 

So  they  waited  there  patiently  until  the  train 
started  and  then,  when  quite  sure  that  it  was 
well  clear  of  the  city,  Jones  struck  a  match. 
After  peering  about  for  a  few  minutes  he  made 
a  joyful  exclamation. 

**Our  luck's  on  the  seesaw,"  he  shouted,  **for 
I  can  see  some  bales  of  cotton  or  something  of 
the  kind  over  in  that  corner.  I'll  strike  another 
light,  then  you  can  climb  up  and  make  yourself 
comfortable,  an'  I'll  follow  you." 

He  struck  another  match  while  Jack  climbed 
over  the  boxes  and  on  to  the  bales.  Then  he 
carefully  extinguished  the  match  and  climbed 
up  alongside  Jack,  who  reached  down  and  gave 
him  a  helping  hand. 

**Well,"  remarked  Jones  after  he  had  set- 
tled himself  down,  ^^not  half  bad,  is  it?" 

**I  should  say  not,"  replied  Jack;  **I'm  sure 
I  could  roll  off  to  sleep  in  two  ticks. ' ' 

**Look  here,"  said  Jones,  suddenly  becoming 
serious,  **you  an'  me  are  becoming  pretty  good 
partners,  even  if  I  am  six  years  older  than  you 
are,  and  I  feel  the  same  kind  of  feeling  toward 


THE  DESEETEES  39 

you  as  I  would  if  you  were  my  own  brother, 
for  I've  taken  a  fancy  toward  you  an'  know 
that  you'll  make  good  some  day.  You  know, 
life's  a  pretty  rough  game  to  play  if  you  are 
playing  a  lone  hand  and  don't  exactly  know  the 
value  of  the  cards.  To  play  it  on  your  own 
without  a  friend  handy  to  tell  you  when  to  hold 
your  hand  and  when  to  show  it,  means  that  you 
have  to  wait  so  long  before  you  dare  risk  a  little 
gamble  on  it  that  the  best  part  of  your  life  ii 
gone  afore  you  are  able  to  gather  in  the  stakes. 
I  don't  know  whether  you  get  my  meaning  or 
not,  but  I  intend  to  stay  with  you  just  to  keep 
you  from  making  mistakes  and  to  help  you  to 
make  good  so  that,  for  instance,  when  you  want 
to  travel  you  can  do  it  in  proper  style  and  not 
have  to  sneak  into  a  box  car  and  dodge  these 
fellows  on  the  lookout  for  you.  Now,  if  we  are 
going  to  be  partners,  I  don't  want  you  to  call 
me  Jones  as  if  I  was  a  stranger,  but  to  call  me 
Joe,  the  first  handle  to  my  name — d'you  under- 
stand, kid?" 

*^Sure,  I  understand,  Joe,"  replied  Jack; 
''but  why  don't  you  call  me  'Jack'  instead  of 
'kid'?  You  don't  want  a  kid  for  a  partner,  do 
you?" 

"I'm  sorry,  Jack,"  replied  Joe,  "but  you 


40  MAKING  GOOD 

seemed  kind  of  young  and  sort  of  needed  look- 
ing after.'' 

Jack  thought  this  was  a  very  happy  arrange- 
ment, and  was  delighted  to  be  assured  of  the 
constant  help  and  companionship  of  Jones,  who 
knew  the  ropes  and  was  a  tall,  strong,  good- 
hearted  fellow.  The  next  day  they  varied  the 
monotony  of  their  traveling  by  sliding  the  door 
back,  and  looking  out  on  to  the  country  they 
were  passing  through.  The  early  part  of  the 
day  it  was  through  farm  lands  smilingly  pros- 
perous, with  snug  houses  and  orchards,  but 
toward  dark  they  had  passed  into  rough,  wildly 
picturesque  country,  with  myriads  of  little  lakes 
with  fringes  of  gorgeous  autumn  foliage. 

The  following  morning  they  passed  around 
the  edge  of  Lake  Superior.  In  the  late  after- 
noon the  freight  stopped  and  Jones,  anxious  to 
replenish  the  small  supply  of  water  they  had 
left,  decided  to  risk  getting  out  and  filling  a 
bottle  from  a  small  lake  close  to  the  railroad. 

**It's  nearly  dark.  Jack,''  he  whispered,  **and 
I  don't  think  they'll  see  me,"  so  he  dropped  out 
of  the  car  on  t^  the  railroad  track  and  darted 
toward  the  lake. 

But  he  was  spotted. 

**Hi,   there,   you  hobo  I"   shouted  the   con- 


THE  DESERTEES  41 

ductor,  **beat  it  for  all  you're  worth;  there's 
no  free  rides  on  this  railroad.'' 

Jones  paused,  then  turned  round  and  shouted 
to  Jack,  ''Come  on,  Jack,  the  game's  up;  he's 
seen  me." 

Jack  jumped  out  of  the  car  and  followed 
Jones  into  the  bush. 

*'I'm  sorry,"  said  Jones  in  tones  of  anger 
and  despair ;  ' '  it  was  a  foolish  thing  to  do,  for 
here  we  are  stranded  in  the  bush  an'  miles  from 
everywhere." 

''It  was  only  bad  luck,  Joe,"  replied  Jack. 
The  freight  was  now  nearly  out  of  sight. 

"Ijet's  sit  down  and  think  it  over,  and  try 
to  figure  out  the  best  thing  to  do.  Can  you  smell 
anythin'  burnin'?"  he  added  excitedly. 

''Yes,  what  is  it?" 

Jones  stood  up,  and  just  then  in  the  gather- 
ing darkness  a  flame  shot  up  into  the  sky. 
Jones's  face  was  pale  and  drawn  when  he 
turned  toward  Jack. 

"They've  set  the  bush  on  fire,"  he  shouted; 
then,  seizing  Jack  by  the  shoulder,  "run,  kid, 
run  for  your  life!"  he  yelled. 


CHAPTER  m 

A  FOEEST  FIEB 

AS  SO  frequently  happens,  a  spark  from 
the  engine  had  fallen  into  the  thick,  dry 
undergrowth;  this  had  burst  into  a  flame  and 
had  ignited  the  brittle  shrubs,  and  these  in  turn 
had  carried  the  fire  to  the  tall  trees.  In  the 
gathering  gloom  the  sight  of  the  flames  leaping 
from  tree  to  tree  was  grand  and  awesome,  and 
Jones,  looking  back  at  this  swiftly  pursuing 
enemy,  realized  the  deadly  peril  they  were  in. 

** Faster,  kid,  faster,''  he  urged;  *4f  we're 
lucky  we  might  get  to  a  clearing  before  she 
catches  us  up." 

The  thickness  of  the  undergrowth  impeded 
their  progress,  and  the  thick  columns  of  smoke 
that  preceded  the  fire  blinded  and  choked  them. 
Jack  struggled  along,  gasping  and  exhausted. 
The  fire  was  gaining  on  them  rapidly,  and  they 
were  now  being  scorched  by  the  great  heat  from 
the  blazing,  roaring  mass  of  trees  behind  them. 
Jack,  choked  by  the  thick  smoke  and  almost 
overcome  by  the  intense  heat,  with  his  eyes 

42 


A  FOREST  FIRE  43 

painful  and  swollen,  now  began  to  reel  dizzily, 
and  Jones  put  his  arm  around  him  to  help  him 
along. 

**Come  on,  Jack,  boy,  keep  it  up;  I  think  I 
see  the  reflection  from  a  lake  just  ahead  of  us. ' ' 

There  was  no  f^eply,  and  the  man  felt  Jack 
go  limp  in  his  arms — ^he  had  become  uncon- 
scious. Scarcely  pausing  in  his  stride,  he  threw 
the  lad  on  to  his  shoulder,  and  crashed  heed- 
lessly through  the  undergrowth,  hands  and  face 
bleeding,  and  his  clothes  almost  torn  to  ribbons. 

The  steady  roar  of  the  rapidly  pursuing 
flames  now  deafened  him;  the  heat  scorched 
and  maddened  him,  and  the  smoke  blinded  and 
choked  him.  It  seemed  as  if  a  hundred  fiends 
were  attempting  to  drag  him  back,  back  into 
that  furnace  of  flames.  It  was  only  his  great 
strength  and  magnificent  physique,  together 
with  a  tremendous  will  power  and  a  fierce  deter- 
mination to  save  the  boy,  that  enabled  him  to 
resist  the  impulse  to  give  up  the  fight.  In  a 
semi-conscious  condition,  sobbing  with  exhaus- 
tion from  the  tremendous  effort  he  was  mak- 
ing, he  at  last  reached  the  shore  of  a  fairly  large 
lake  and  plunged  at  once  into  its  cool  waters. 
He  was  immediately  revived,  and  his  brain 
began  to  work  in  a  normal  manner  again.   He 


44  MAKING  GOOD 

dipped  Jack's  head  into  the  water,  and  the 
effect  was  instantaneous.  Jack  opened  his  eyes 
and  looked  wonderingly  into  the  other's  face. 

'^That's  better,''  said  the  sailor  cheerily. 
**Can  you  swim?  We  are  not  safe  yet,  but  I 
can  see  a  little  island  about  a  couple  of  hun- 
dred yards  away;  let  us  make  for  that." 

**Lead  the  way,  Joe,  and  I'll  follow  you," 
replied  Jack.  They  both  were  strong  swim- 
mers, and  in  a  little  while  they  dragged  them- 
selves up  on  to  the  small  island.  Although  they 
were  so  far  safe,  their  plight  was  still  desper- 
ate. The  great  heat  from  the  furnace  of  flames 
around  them  was  rJmost  unbearable,  for  they 
were  literally  ir  he  center  of  a  blazing  mass 
of  trees. 

** Stick  to  it,"  said  Jones  encouragingly  as 
Jack  lay  with  his  face  buried  in  the  earth; 
''she's  at  her  worst  right  no"W.'' 

It  was  a  fascinating  sight  to  watch,  the  flames 
leaping  from  tree  to  tree  like  fiends  in  a  frolic. 
Fortunately,  the  trees  fringing  the  lake  were 
not  large ;  they  burned  fiercely  and  quickly,  and 
after  two  or  three  hours  the  heat  became  more 
bearable,  so  that  th'ey  were  both  able  to  sit  up 
and  talk  things  over. 

'^Well,  Jack,  I'm  afraid  our  luck  is  out  with 


A  FOREST  FIRE  45 

a  vengeance,  though  it  was  only  by  the  mercy 
of  Providence  that  we  escaped  from  a  certain 
and  frightful  death,  for  I  don^t  mind  tellin'  you 
now  that  it  was  a  pretty  close  call.'* 

^^I  don't  remember  it  all,''  said  Jaci;  **the 
last  remembrance  I  have  of  it  was  as  though 
the  flames  were  wrapping  themselves  around 
me  and  dragging  me  back,  and  it  also  seemed 
as  if  strong  hands  were  at  my  throat  choking 
me  and  as  if  red-hot  pokers  were  gouging  my 
eyes  out.  Then  there  was  a  blank  and  the  next 
thing  I  remember  I  was  in  the  lake.  How  did 
I  get  there,  Joe?"  But  Joe  was  not  answering 
questions  then. 

'^I  know  now,"  continued  Jack.  **You  must 
have  carried  me  after  I  fainted."  Then, 
huskily,  **Joe,  it  seems  to  me  I  owe  my  life 
to  you." 

"Aw,  shut  up,"  replied  Jones.  '*I  got  you 
into  the  scrape ;  but  for  my  darned  pig-headed- 
ness  we  should  still  have  been  aboard  that 
freight." 

**Yes,  but  you  risked  your  life  to  save  mine." 

**  Nothing  of  the  sort.  I  knew  that  I  could 
easily  make  the  lake  ahead  of  the  fire. ' ' 

*'Well,  I'm  sorry  I  can't  believe  you,  Joe, 
for  you  said  only  a  few  minutes  ago  that  it  was 


46  MAKING  GOOD 

a  pretty  close  call ;  and  look  at  your  clothes,  all 
torn  to  ribbons.'' 

*  *  Well,  as  for  that,  you  have  nothing  to  boast 
about  yourself.  Jack,  boy,  for  you  look  as  much 
like  a  hobo  as  anything  I  ever  saw.  Come  on, 
gather  a  few  of  the  dead  leaves  together  and 
we'll  make  up  a  bed.  With  a  nice  free  fire  pro- 
vided for  us,  we  ought  to  sleep  warm  an'  com- 
fortable." 

Jack  was  by  now  becoming  used  to  strange 
and  novel  kinds  of  beds.  He  lay  awake  for  a 
little  while  thinking  of  the  miraculous  escape 
he  had  had  from  a  frightful  death,  and  with 
his  heart  overflowing  with  gratitude  toward  his 
companion  sleeping  beside  him.  It  was  truly  a 
wonderful  sight  that  he  saw  around  him:  the 
dull  glow  from  the  now  smoldering  trees,  the 
weird  reflections  in  the  water,  and  the  distant 
roar  from  the  fire  which  had  swept  past  them 
to  their  great  peril,  and  which  was  now  greedily 
devouring  acres  of  splendid,  stately  trees. 
Presently  he  fell  asleep,  and  was  awakened 
some  hours  later  by  the  cheery  voice  of  Jones. 

**Come  on.  Jack,  shake  a  leg;  we  can't  afford 
to  stay  in  this  place,  nice  little  island  though 
it  is.  The  larder's  empty,  so  we  must  hit  the 
trail  as  soon  as  possible,  though  I'm  not  at  all 


A  FOEEST  FIEE  47 

sure  of  bein'  able  to  get  far.  The  bush  is  thin 
here  and  soon  burns  out,  but  where  it  is  heavy 
she  sometimes  burns  for  days  an'  weeks  at  a 
time.  Up  to  now  IVe  only  seen  a  forest  fire 
at  a  distance.  It  looked  bad  enough  then,  but 
last  night's  experience  has  that  faded  to  a 
shadow.  Say  when  you  are  ready  to  take  the 
plunge  and  we  '11  be  going. ' ' 

In  a  few  minutes  they  were  standing  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  shaking  the  water  off  them- 
selves. They  were  both  in  surprisingly  good 
spirits  considering  the  trying  experiences  they 
had  passed  through,  and  the  difficulties  of  their 
present  position.  Jack  had  all  the  optimism  of 
a  boy  of  sixteen,  which  was  encouraged  by  the 
unfailing  cheerfulness  of  Jones,  backed  up  by 
a  resourcefulness  and  an  experience  of  knock- 
ing about  the  world  under  all  manner  of  condi- 
tions, both  pleasant  and  otherwise.  They  had 
not  traveled  far  when  they  were  driven  back 
by  the  heat  and  smoke  from  the  smoldering,  tall 
trees.  Added  to  this  was  the  great  danger  from 
falling  trees  and  branches. 

*^It's  no  go.  Jack,"  said  Jones;  *^ we've  got 
to  back  up,  for  it  would  be  suicide  to  attempt 
to  get  through.  We'll  get  back  to  the  lake,  and 
give  it  another  day  to  burn  out." 


48  MAKING  GOOD 

So  they  beat  a  hasty  retreat  to  the  shore  of 
the  lake. 

**WelI,  Jack/'  remarked  Jones,  *'I  don't 
know  how  yon  feel,  but  if  I  didn't  have  a  kind 
of  sneaking  regard  for  you  I  think  I'd  turn 
cannibal. ' ' 

Jack  laughed.  **I  feel  just  about  the  same, 
Joe ;  but  surely  with  so  much  water  about  there 
ought  to  be  some  fish." 

*^AVell,"  ejaculated  Jones,  **just  step  over 
this  way  and  kick  me,  will  you?  I  guess  this 
smoke  has  got  into  my  thinking  box.  Sure,  some 
of  these  little  lakes  are  fairly  alive  with  fish. 
I'll  hunt  around  an'  see  if  I  can  find  a  fairly 
stout  branch  that  the  fire  hasn't  nibbled  at, 
and  if  we're  lucky  enough  to  dig  up  a  few 
worms  we  might  have  a  first-class  breakfast 
yet." 

Jones  returned  unsuccessful;  but,  not  to  be 
balked,  he  swam  out  to  the  little  island  and 
came  back  with  one  between  his  teeth.  Fortu- 
nately they  both  had  strong  leather  boot  laces 
and,  by  the  aid  of  these,  they  had  soon  rigged 
up  a  fishing  line.  It  required  a  lot  of  patience 
digging  with  old  pieces  of  charred  branches 
before  they  dug  up  their  first  worm.  When 
everything  was  ready  Jones  waded  into  the 


A  FOEEST  FIEE  49 

lake  and  soon  had  a  nice  catch  of  small  fish. 
There  was  no  trouble  about  fixing  up  a  fire,  for 
there  were  charred,  smoking  branches  lying 
around  everywhere.  All  things  considered,  the 
day  passed  off  very  comfortably  and  success- 
fully, and  at  night  they  stretched  themselves 
out  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  and  slept  soundly. 

At  daybreak  the  prospects  of  bursting  out  of 
their  fiery  prison  looked  considerably  brighter, 
for  the  loud  reports  occasioned  by  falling  trees 
were  noticeably  fewer,  and  the  smoke  less  dense 
and  troublesome  than  on  the  day  previous. 

*^I  think  we'll  make  it  all  right  this  time, 
Jack,''  remarked  Jones.  **We'll  get  back  to 
the  railroad  and  then  travel  back  past  the  place 
where  the  fire  started,  and  then  things  will  be 
smooth. " 

But  it  was  by  no  means  easy,  for  in  places 
the  fire  was  still  burning  furiously ;  but  by  per- 
severing and  carefully  picking  their  way  they 
eventually  reached  the  railroad  and  in  a  few 
minutes  were  clear  of  the  smoldering  bush. 

*^I  reckon  we'll  shake  hands  on  the  narrowest 
escape  from  being  converted  into  a  cinder  that 
I've  ever  had,"  remarked  Jones.  ** Fancy  a 
man  who  has  been  passing  as  a  sailor  for  five 
years  being  burned  to  death  in  a  forest  fire! 


50  MAKING  GOOD 

Sounds  a  bit  rum — doesn't  it? — ^but  it  nearly 
came  true.  But  you  do  look  a  scarecrow,  Jack, 
and  no  mistake,  what  with  your  blackened  face 
an'  your  tattered  joy  rags.  I  guess  we'll  have 
to  produce  our  credentials  afore  they'll  allow 
us  to  enter  the  first  village  we  come  to." 

It  was  nearly  three  hours  before  they  sighted 
a  village  along  the  track,  and  their  relief  and 
thankfulness  can  easily  be  imagined. 

**IIope  they'll  take  pity  on  us,  Joe,"  said 
Jack,  *^and  if  I  look  half  the  wreck  I  feel  I'm 
pretty  sure  they  will." 

** Don't  you  worry  about  that,"  replied 
Jones;  **we'll  be  all  right  here  for  a  few  days." 

Their  arrival  in  the  small  village,  the  center 
of  an  industrious  farming  community,  occa- 
sioned a  mild  sensation.  Even  so  far  away  they 
had  felt  something  of  the  heat  from  the  fire, 
and  at  night  the  steady,  dull  red  glow  in  the 
sky  had  told  its  own  story.  More  than  one  of 
the  older  inhabitants  could  tell  a  thrilling  tale 
of  experiences  in  a  forest  fire,  of  the  dreadful 
devastation  that  it  had  wrought.  The  village 
was  only  clear  of  the  edge  of  the  forest,  and 
already  precautions  had  been  taken  in  case  the 
wind  should  change.  Their  sympathy  with  these 
two  derelicts  who  had  passed  through  such  a 


A  FOEEST  FIEE  51 

harrowing  and  perilous  experience,  and  miracu- 
lously escaped  death,  soon  took  ai  practical 
form.  The  good-natured  proprietor  of  the  little 
hotel  quickly  took  them  under  his  care,  and  in 
a  short  while  our  two  heroes  were  eating  raven- 
ously the  substantial  meal  he  set  before  them. 

'*Jack,  boy,"  remarked  Jones,  *'our  luck's 
in  again.  There's  no  cause  to  complain  of  the 
hospitality  of  the  people  in  this  town.  I've  just 
had  a  talk  with  the  proprietor,  and  he 's  offered 
us  both  a  job  for  a  few  weeks  if  we  care  to  stay. 
I'm  goin'  to  look  after  the  livery  stable  he  runs 
here,  and  he  said  he  could  keep  you  busy  help- 
ing around  the  place.  Of  course,  the  wages  ain't 
very  big,  but  I  guess  we  had  better  stay  here  for 
a  little  while.  With  the  winter  coming  on,  we  'd 
better  make  sure  of  a  decent  home  and  then 
get  out  West  in  the  early  spring,  when  things 
are  busiest  around  a  ranch.  What  d'you  say, 
Jack?" 

'^Well,  Joe,  I'm  what  you  call  a  greenhorn 
in  this  country,  and  I  leave  everything  to  you. 
For  myself,  I  think  I'd  like  to  work  around  here 
for  a  little  while." 

'^It's  a  go  then.  Jack,  so  I'll  fix  things  up 
with  the  proprietor.  Oh,  the  fellow  that  owns 
the  store  across  the  way  has  sent  over  to  say 


52  MAKING  GOOD 

that  if  we  care  to  step  over  he'll  give  ns  a  new 
rig-out,  so  our  luck 's  in  for  fair. ' ' 

The  owner  of  the  general  store  was  as  good 
as  his  word,  and  in  a  little  while  Jack  was  sport- 
ing a  new  pair  of  blue  overalls,  a  thick  mack- 
inaw  coat,  and  a  slouch  hat. 

The  bright  willingness  of  Jack,  and  the 
cheery,  robust  manhood  of  Jones,  soon  gained 
for  them  a  general  popularity  in  the  village. 
Jack  often  thought  of  the  difference  between 
this  and  his  life  on  board  the  Jersey,  and  never 
once  regretted  having  deserted  at  Halifax. 

Since  settling  down  in  the  little  town  he  had 
written  home  a  glowing  account  of  his  new  sur- 
roundings and  of  his  plans  for  going  West  with 
Jones  to  qualify  as  a  cow-puncher.  All  his  spare 
moments  were  spent  around  the  stables,  and 
Jones,  with  his  expert  knowledge  of  horses  and 
the  management  of  them,  never  tired  of  ex- 
plaining things  to  him. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

A  TRAIN  WRECK 

JACK  had  his  first  experience  of  a  Canadian 
winter,  and  despite  the  discomforts  of  the 
intense  cold,  he  found  it  thoroughly  enjoyable. 
Being  a  good  skater,  he  soon  entered  into  the 
popular  pastime,  and  practiced  assiduously  at 
the  favorite  game  of  ice  hockey,  at  which  he 
promised  to  be  extremely  efficient  and  capable. 
Altogether,  his  stay  in  the  little  Ontario  town 
was  a  very  pleasant  and  profitable  break  in  the 
journey  West.  He  grew  taller  and  stronger  and 
more  capable  every  day,  and  under  the  super- 
vision of  Jones  he  became  a  very  efficient  horse- 
man, which  promised  well  for  him  when  the  time 
came  for  him  to  take  his  place  among  those  pic- 
turesque, devil-may-care  riders  of  the  plains. 

Shortly  after  Christmas  the  two  held  a  con- 
sultation as  to  their  future  plans. 

**I  guess,  Jack,"  said  Jones,  *^that  we  had 
better  be  makin '  a  move  pretty  soon.  This  is  a 
nice  little  town,  and  the  folk  about  here  are  pow- 
erful kind,  but  this  life  is  too  unexciting.  If  w© 

53 


54  MAKING  GOOD 

stayed  here  much  longer  we'd  be  growing 
beards  and  developing  a  rheumatiky  limp.  Now 
weVe  been  here  nearly  four  months,  and  IVe 
got  nearly  a  hundred  dollars  ^cached'  away, 
and  you  say  you  Ve  got  fifty,  so  with  a  hundred 
an'  fifty  dollars  in  the  exchequer  we're  in 
pretty  good  shape  to  hit  the  trail  again  for  the 
West.  What  do  you  say,  Jack?" 

**Sure,  I'm  game,  Joe;  after  all  that  you've 
told  me  about  ranching  and  bronchos  and  cow- 
punchers  I  couldn't  settle  down  here  as  a  *  chore 
boy'  for  a  hotel  keeper  for  the  rest  of  my  life," 
replied  Jack. 

** That's  the  spirit,  boy,  that's  the  spirit," 
remarked  Jones  approvingly;  **they  say  a  roll- 
ing stone  gathers  no  moss,  which  I  don't  deny, 
but  it  gets  a  rare  polish  on  it;  besides,  it's  not 
natural  for  a  boy  of  your  age  to  be  content  with 
any  old  thing.  Never  be  afraid  to  quit  a  job  if 
yon  see  a  better  one  ahead  of  you.  The  man 
that  fastens  on  to  the  first  and  only  job  he  ever 
had  grows  on  to  it  like  a  fossil,  and  pretty  soon 
he  begins  to  look  like  one.  There's  nothing  of 
the  fossil  about  you,  Jack;  you  are  just  the 
kind  to  make  a  name  for  yourself  out  West. 
In  a  couple  of  weeks  we'll  hit  the  trail  again, 
and  we'll  travel  in  proper  style — ^no  stowing 


A  TEAIN  WRECK  55 

away  in  a  box  car  this  time,  to  be  chased  into 
the  bush  after  they  Ve  set  the  darned  thing  on 
fire,  an'  then  having  to  sit  in  a  lake  with  your 
head  in  the  water  tryin'  to  keep  your  eyelashes 
from  bein'  burned  off.  What  do  you  say  about 
it  yourself?" 

**I'm  all  for  riding,  Joe,  where  you  can  look 
out  of  the  window  and  admire  the  scenery,  in- 
stead of  spying  out  through  a  crack  in  the 
doorway,"  replied  Jack. 

'*You're  right;  we  will  pay  for  the  right  to 
do  as  you  please,  more  or  less,  on  our  next  train 
traveling. ' ' 

And  so  it  was  decided  that  they  should,  as 
Jones  said,  hit  the  trail  again.  Two  weeks  after 
this  conversation  they  took  leave  of  the  good- 
natured  hotel  proprietor  and  the  many  friends 
they  had  made  during  their  short  stay  in  the 
village.  Two  trains  a  day  passed  through  the 
tiny  **flag"  station,  one  going  east  and  one 
west,  and  these  only  stopped  if  they  were 
** flagged."  Jones  and  Jack  bought  their  tickets 
for  Winnipeg,  which  made  a  big  hole  in  their 
fund.  The  train  was  duly  ^  ^  flagged, ' '  and  pulled 
up  for  them  to  climb  aboard.  Fortunately,  the 
small  station  was  on  the  direct  transcontinental 
route,  and  once  aboard  the  train  they  had  a 


56  MAKING  GOOD 

through  trip  to  their  destination,  occupying  a 
little  over  two  days. 

This  was  Jack's  first  real  train  ride  in  Can- 
ada, and  the  spacious  car,  filled  with  a  cosmo- 
politan crowd  of  European  immigrants,  proved 
to  be  of  great  interest  to  him. 

**A  funny-looking  crowd  in  here,  Joe;  what 
are  theyT'  he  asked  after  they  had  settled 
down. 

**0h,  a  bunch  of  dagos  just  arrived  from 
Europe.  Not  a  very  clean  or  sweet-smelling 
crowd,  are  they?  We  have  thousands  of  these 
in  the  States,  an'  funny  people  they  are;  live 
mostly  on  garlic,  I  think,  judging  from  the  smell 
of  'em,"  replied  Jones. 

**They  look  pretty  cold,  don't  they?"  re- 
marked Jack. 

**They  do,  but  if  you  were  to  see  them  out 
West  you'd  be  surprised  to  see  the  way  they 
try  to  keep  themselves  warm.  They  sew  the 
kids  up  in  their  clothes  when  the  winter  starts 
and  don't  undo  the  stitches  until  the  spring 
comes — a  real  dirty  crowd,"  concluded  Jones 
in  disgust. 

**Look  here,  Joe,"  called  out  Jack,  **d'you 
recognize  this  place?" 

"I  sure  do;  that's  just  about  the  spot  where 


A  TRAIN  WRECK  57 

we  hit  into  the  bush  after  leaving  the  freight, 
and  there's  the  lake  that  saved  our  lives." 

The  devastating  effects  of  the  fire  were 
plainly  evident.  What  had  been  a  magnificent 
forest  was  now  a  desolate  region  of  burned 
stumps.  More  than  once  during  the  day  Jack, 
whose  eyes  were  scarcely  ever  from  the  win- 
dow, saw  similar  wide  stretches  of  desolation. 
Occasionally  he  and  Jones  took  a  stroll  through 
the  cars  to  stretch  their  legs,  and  when  the  train 
came  to  a  standstill,  as  it  did  at  intervals,  they 
got  out  and  walked  about,  and  more  than  once 
narrowly  escaping  being  left  behind.  Toward 
dusk  they  were  standing  on  the  platform  at  the 
end  of  their  car  when  Jones  remarked : 

*' Smell  anything  burning^  Jack?" 

''Yes,  I  do,"  replied  Jack. 

''Well,  I  guess  we  ought  to  know  the  smell 
by  now,"  continued  Jones.  He  then  leaned 
over  and  looked  out.  In  the  fast  gathering 
gloom  he  saw  a  space  ahead  which  he  concluded 
was  a  ravine  or  river  which  they  would  soon 
cross,  when,  just  as  he  was  about  to  turn  to 
Jack,  he  saw  the  engine  plunge  into  space! 
There  was  a  deafening,  grinding  crash,  and  he 
was  thrown  headfirst  down  the  embankment. 
Jack,    who    had    been    standing    immediately 


58  MAKING  GOOD 

behind,  pitched  over  on  top  of  him.  They  looked 
up  just  in  time  to  see  the  last  of  the  ill-fated 
train  plunge  down  the  bank.  Then  followed  a 
series  of  deafening  crashes  and  the  noise  of 
escaping  steam.  They  scrambled  to  their  feet 
and  ran  along  the  track  toward  the  point  where 
the  train  had  disappeared.  They  paused  on  the 
edge  of  a  steep  bank  rising  almost  abruptly  for 
a  hundred  feet  from  the  frozen  river  below. 
A  cloud  of  escaping  steam  hid  from  their  view 
the  wreckage  of  the  train. 

**Eun  back,  Jack,"  said  Jones,  *'and  give  the 
alarm  to  the  first  man  you  see;  tell  him  to 
phone  for  doctors  to  come  at  once.  Ill  scramble 
down  somehow  and  see  if  I  can  help  anybody 
— that  is,  if  there 's  anybody  left  alive. ' ' 

Jack  needed  no  urging;  he  ran  the  next  two 
miles  faster  than  ever  he  had  run  in  his  life 
before,  and  fell  up  against  the  door  of  the  office 
of  a  little  flag  station  they  had  passed  only  a 
few  minutes  before.  It  was  some  time  before 
he  could  give  a  coherent  message,  but  when  he 
did  the  man  on  duty  rushed  to  the  telegraphic 
board,  and  his  fingers  rapped  out  news  of  the 
greatest  and  most  tragic  disaster  in  the  whole 


A  TEAIN  WEECK  59 

history  of  Canadian  railways.*  This  done  he 
turned  to  Jack. 

^^Sit  down,  kid,  and  take  a  breath,  for  yon 
deserve  it.  In  an  hour  we  '11  have  an  ambulance 
train  here,  and  you  can  go  back  on  that." 

But  Jack  could  not  be  persuaded  to  stay;  he 
could  picture  Jones  alone  among  that  scene  of 
wreckage  and  death,  and  he  wanted  to  get  back 
to  help  him. 

Jones,  as  soon  as  Jack  had  gone,  quickly 
found  a  way  down  to  the  river,  and  plunged 
into  the  work  of  rescue.  The  scene  was  beyond 
description.  The  huge  engine  had  plunged 
almost  through  the  ice,  while  a  mass  of  indis- 
tinguishable wreckage  represented  the  rest  of 
the  train.  Alone  in  the  darkness,  with  the  ago- 
nized cries  of  the  injured  ringing  in  his  ears, 
Jones  worked  like  a  Trojan.  In  the  midst  of  it, 
he  was  joined  by  Jack,  and  through  their  efforts 
more  than  one  unfortunate  passenger  was 
extricated  from  a  position  of  great  pain  and 
peril. 

Some  time  later  bands  of  skilled  workers  and 
doctors  came  on  the  scene,  and  by  daylight  all 

*In  the  winter  of  1910-11  a  train  disaster  similar  to  the 
one  described  above  actually  happened. 


60  MAKING  GOOD 

that  conld  be  done  for  the  injured  had  been 
done.  None  had  worked  harder  or  more  untir- 
ingly than  Jones  and  Jack,  and  their  work  came 
in  for  general  praise  and  commendation. 

Jones  turned  to  Jack.  *^  Jack,  boy,  weVe  got 
to  shake  hands  again.  It's  a  miracle  that  we 
are  not  lying  there  among  that  mangled  iron 
an'  woodwork."  And  they  shook  hands  sol- 
emnly and  silently. 


CHAPTER  V 


THE  GATES  OP  THE  WEST 


JACK  and  Jones  turned  their  attention  to 
the  causes  leading  up  to  this  terrible  disas- 
ter. The  burned  ends  of  what  had  been  a  bridge 
jutted  out  from  the  river  banks,  and  these  told 
the  plain  and  tragic  story.  It  could  only  have 
happened  in  an  isolated  spot,  for  the  bridge 
had  somehow  caught  alight,  probably  through 
a  hot  cinder  from  a  passing  engine,  and  had 
burned  itself  out  without  any  one  being  any  the 
wiser.  The  driver  of  the  ill-fated  train,  unaware 
of  the  yawning  chasm  ahead,  had  driven  the 
train  up  to  the  brink  and,  too  late,  had  applied 
his  brakes.  It  was  this  that  had  thrown  Jones 
and  Jack  off  the  platform  and  so  had  saved 
their  lives.  Their  prompt  action,  and  the  splen- 
did services  they  had  rendered  to  the  unfor- 
tunate victims,  was  suitably  recognized  by  the 
railway  company ;  they  were  richer  by  one  hun- 
dred dollars  each  and  a  first-class  ticket  to 

61 


62  MAKING  GOOD 

their  destination — Winnipeg — together  with 
free  meals  provided  en  route  in  the  dining  car, 
and  a  sleeping  berth.  As  Jones  lounged  in  the 
dining  car  sipping  his  coffee  and  puffing  at  an 
excellent  cigar,  he  remarked  to  Jack,  sitting 
opposite : 

^  *  Say,  Jack,  but  don 't  this  beat  box  car  trav- 
eling together  with  ship's  biscuits,  bully  beef, 
and  cold  water  T' 

**EatherI''  replied  Jack.  *^I've  never  even 
dreamed  of  such  luxury  and  comfort.  As  you 
say,  our  luck's  in  for  fair." 

Forty-eight  hours  later  they  arrived  at  the 
busy  terminus  at  Winnipeg,  after  what  had  been 
to  Jack  one  of  the  most  exciting  experiences  in 
his  life.  He  said  so  to  Jones,  but  Jones  affected 
to  treat  it  with  tolerant  good  humor  as  though 
the  experience  was,  to  him,  an  almost  every- 
day occurrence,  which  greatly  amused  Jack, 
who  was  wide  enough  awake  to  see  the  exag- 
gerated attempts  his  friend  made  to  appear  at 
his  ease.  However,  they  were  both  very  happy 
when,  with  their  modest  packages,  they  emerged 
from  the  terminus. 

*'Well,  Jack,"  remarked  Jones,  ** seeing  that 
we're  rather  flush,  I  think  we  ought  to  do  our- 
selves well  for  one  night;  we'll  put  up  at  a  swell 


THE  GATES  OF  THE  WEST         63 

hotel,  have  a  swell  dinner  and  a  swell  bed,  an' 
then  to-morrow  we'll  think  'bout  work  again.'' 

Jack  cordially  agreed  to  the  proposition,  and 
followed  his  companion  into  the  most  palatial 
hotel  in  Winnipeg.  Their  rongh  attire  did  not 
exactly  harmonize  with  their  surroundings,  but 
it  did  not  excite  notice  or  comment,  for  many 
of  the  wealthiest  ranchers  of  the  West  pat- 
ronized the  same  hotel,  and  they  never  affected 
any  other  attire  than  that  of  their  ordinary 
everyday  life. 

As  events  turned  out  this  proved  to  be  rather 
a  shrewd  move  on  the  part  of  Jones,  for,  after 
booking  rooms  and  handing  their  small  pack- 
ages to  the  uniformed  porter,  they  adjourned 
to  the  lounge  and,  according  to  the  easy-going 
custom  of  the  West,  entered  into  conversation 
with  their  nearest  neighbors. 

Jones  was  equal  to.  every  occasion,  and  being 
a  sociable,  good-natured  young  giant,  he  was 
soon  engaged  in  conversation  with  a  tall,  clean- 
shaven, and  wholesome-looking  man  of  about 
fifty.  Though  Jones  did  not  then  know  it,  he 
was  one  of  the  best  and  most  widely  known 
ranchers  of  the  West.  He  was  a  Scotch-Cana- 
dian by  the  name  of  Mcintosh,  who  had  spent 
his  boyhood  days  in  the  then  **wild  and  woolly 


64  MAKING  GOOD 

West,'*  his  father  having  been  a  factor  at  one 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  trading  stations.  He  was  a 
typically  shrewd  and  long-headed  Scotsman, 
and  as  good  a  judge  of  men  as  he  was  of  horses. 
He  was  pleased  with  Jones,  and  regarded  Jack 
approvingly.  His  conversation  with  the  former 
had  come  round  to  the  most  widely  discussed 
topic  of  the  moment — the  recent  terrible  rail- 
way disaster,  and  Jones,  with  his  highly  de- 
scriptive phraseology,  had  given  him  a  graphic 
description  of  it. 

**So  you  were  the  two  boys  that  the  papers 
are  writing  so  much  stuff  about  T'  commented 
Mcintosh  in  the  slow,  characteristic  drawl  of 
the  born  Westerner. 

**I  suppose  so,''  replied  Jones,  ** though  to 
tell  the  truth  Jack  and  myself  have  never  read 
them ;  we  were  too  glad  to  come  out  of  it  with  a 
whole  skin,  and  too  thankful  for  the  first-class 
ticket,  together  with  free  feeds,  to  want  to  find 
out  anything  more  about  that  train  wreck.  We 
were  bound  for  the  West,  and  had  barely 
enough  money  to  see  us  safely  and  comfortably 
to  the  end  of  our  journey." 

He  then  proceeded  to  give  Mcintosh  a  history 
of  their  adventure  from  the  time  Jack  arrived 
on  board  the  Jersey.   The  rancher  was  highly 


THE  GATES  OP  THE  WEST        65 

interested,  and  nodded  approvingly  at  different 
periods  in  Jones's  detailed  narrative. 

^^Well/'  lie  said  in  his  slow  drawl  when 
Jones  had  finished,  **I  guess  that  you  two  boys 
are  sure  made  of  the  right  stuff,  and  just  the 
kind  to  make  good  out  here.  Now  I  can  always 
find  room  for  a  couple  of  good  men.  At  present 
I  have  a  small  herd  of  cattle,  round  about 
twelve  thousand  head,  and  about  two  thousand 
head  of  horses.  My  ranch  is  south  of  the  foot- 
hills in  Alberta,  so  if  you  boys  care  to  look  me 
up  when  the  frost  breaks  I  '11  be  only  too  pleased 
to  give  you  both  a  job  and  will  pay  you  good 
wages,  proAdded  you  both  make  good.  The 
West  is  no  place  for  a  slouch ;  it  wants  hustlers, 
boys  not  afraid  to  work.  What  d'you  say,  you 
boys,  are  you  on?" 

'^Rather!"  exclaimed  Jack  before  even  the 
quick-spoken  Jones  had  time  to  reply,  his  bright 
eyes  alight  with  excitement. 

*'I  guess  we  are,  Mr.  Mcintosh,"  said  Jones. 
**This  friend  of  mine  is  plumb  crazy  to  get  on 
a  ranch,  and  speaking  more  for  him  than  myself, 
I  don't  think  you'll  regret  givin'  us  the  chance 
to  make  good.  For  myself,  I  was  brought  up 
on  a  ranch,  just  the  same,  you  might  say,  as 
some  babies  are  brought  up  on  the  bottle.  My 


66  MAKING  GOOD 

first  memory  is  that  of  a  cow  pony,  and  now, 
after  being  a  sailor  for  moreen  five  years,  I^m 
just  as  keen  about  it  as  Jack  here.'' 

As  they  all  stood  up,  preparatory  to  leav- 
ing, the  rancher  gave  Jones  further  particulars 
of  the  location  of  his  ranch. 

*^Now,  boys,"  he  said  cheerily,  *^I'm  leaving 
on  the  train  for  Calgary  in  a  few  minutes,  and 
I'll  be  disappointed  if  you  don't  turn  up  as 
promised. ' ' 

**No  need  to  worry  'bout  that,  Mr.  Mcin- 
tosh," replied  Jones;  '*we'll  hang  about  Win- 
nipeg for  the  next  two  weeks,  by  which  time  the 
frost  will  have  broken;  then  we'll  hit  the  trail 
straight  for  the  Q.  Z.  ranch." 

As  the  rancher  shook  hands  with  Jack  he  re- 
marked approvingly,  *^Boy,  I  like  your  looks; 
you  are  the  build  for  a  cow-puncher— wiry, 
clean-limbed,  with  a  bright  eye  and  a  stubborn 
mouth.  I  wish  you  luck,  and  if  I  can  ever  be 
of  any  help  to  you  don't  be  afraid  to  ask." 

After  he  had  gone  Jack's  excitement  and 
exultation  knew  no  bounds,  and  even  the  good- 
natured  Jones  had  to  remonstrate  and  throw  in 
a  word  of  warning  that  a  cow-puncher's  life 
was  not  all  honey.  ** There's  one  good  thing 
about  it  though,  Jack:  Mr.  Mcintosh  won't  use 


THE  GATES  OF  THE  WEST         67 

sea  boots  on  you,  as  the  big  bully  aboard  the 
Jersey  did.  We're  in  luck  to  meet  a  man  like 
that,  for  IVe  known  ranchers  that  'u*d  run  the 
skipper  a  pretty  close  race  for  the  prize  of 
being  the  biggest  bully  on  earth.  Now,  we'll 
have  that  swell  dinner  we  promised  ourselves, 
after  which  to  bed.  To-morrow  we  '11  pull  out  of 
this  hotel  and  find  a  cheaper  place  to  live.  It's 
been  a  good  investment,  though.  Never  spend 
your  money  recklessly.  Jack,  but  to  be  close- 
fisted  don't  necessarily  imply  that  wealth  will 
follow  as  a  natural  consequence.  Money  spent 
wisely  and  with  a  purpose  will  never  ruin  you, 
for  more  often  than  not  it  more  than  comes  back 
to  you.  The  man  that's  afraid  to  open  his  fist 
in  case  he  loses  what  he's  got,  can't  expect  that 
people  are  goin'  to  pry  it  open  to  slip  another 
coin  in." 

After  Jones  had  rid  himself  of  this  accu- 
mulated wisdom,  which  Jack  had  readily  ab- 
sorbed, they  went  into  the  dining  room.  For  a 
rough  sailor  and  cow-puncher,  Jones  conducted 
himself  admirably  until  the  finger  bowls  were 
brought  round,  when,  instead  of  dipping  his 
fingers  in  daintily,  he  promptly  raised  his  to  his 
lips  and  drained  it  to  the  last  drop ! 

Jack,  though  unused  to  dining  in  first-class 


68  MAKING  GOOD 

hotels,  was  careful  to  watch  those  at  neighbor- 
ing tables,  and  pointed  out  to  Jones  his  serious 
breach  of  etiquette. 

Jones's  admirably  sustained  sang-froid 
hastily  abandoned  him  and,  not  waiting  for 
any  further  explanations,  he  bolted  out  of  the 
dining  room,  to  the  serious  discomfiture  of  the 
waiters,  whom  he  unceremoniously  brushed- 
aside.  Jack  followed  discreetly  in  the  rear, 
only  in  time  to  see  Jones  ignoring  the  elevator 
and  disappearing  up  the  broad  staircase.  When 
Jack  arrived  in  the  bedroom  he  found  Jones, 
looking  very  hot  and  confused,  seated  on  one 
of  the  beds.  Immediately  Jack  appeared  he 
called  out: 

**Come  on,  kid,  pack  up;  this  high  life  doesn't 
agree  with  me." 

'VDon't  be  silly,  Joe ;  we  Ve  paid  for  the  room, 
so  why  shouldn't  we  sleep  here?" 

** Honest,  Jack,  I  simply  couldn't  do  it.  I'll 
have  nightmare  for  sure  if  I  stay  in  here  over- 
night." 

Then  he  began  to  rave.  **Now,  Jack,  can 
you  tell  me  why  they  bring  you  water  at  a  meal 
table  if  they  don't  intend  you  to  drink  it?  It's 
only  natural  to  suppose  that's  what  it's  for 
unless  they  bring  a  towel  an'  a  piece  of  soap." 


THE  GATES  OF  THE  WEST         69 

**I  don't  see  why  you  should  grumble/'  re- 
plied Jack,  his  eyes  twinkling  with  merriment. 
''You  wanted  a  swell  dinner,  and  now  that 
youVe  had  it  you  don't  seem  to  be  satisfied." 

''You're  right.  Jack.  I  wanted  a  swell  din- 
ner, but  I  didn't  expect  to  have  a  bath  along 
with  it  at  the  same  time.  Pack  up,  for  it's  out 
we  go  on  the  hustle." 

Jack  patted  the  bed  he  intended  to  occupy. 

*'Not  with  this  for  a  couch,  Joe,"  he  replied; 
"you  can  go  if  you  like  and  call  around  in  the 
morning  for  me." 

"Oh,  well.  Jack,  have  it  your  own  way,  but 
I'm  locking  that  door  in  case  one  of  those  chaps 
in  uniform  takes  a  notion  to  try  any  of  his 
tricks  on  us." 

The  next  morning  Jones  was  up  bright  and 
early,  doing  up  his  packages  preparatory  to 
leaving. 

"Come  on.  Jack,  up  you  get,"  he  shouted; 
but  Jack  was  too  comfortable  to  pay  much  heed, 
though  at  last  he  was  compelled  to  do  so. 

"What's  the  hurry,  Joe?"  he  inquired 
sleepily. 

"Oh,  no  perticular  hurry.  Jack,  except  that 
I'm  mighty  anxious  to  get  out  into  the  open 
air." 


70  MAKING  GOOD 

** We've  got  to  wait  for  breakfast,  and  that 
won't  be  for  another  hour,"  grumbled  Jack  as 
he  turned  over  in  bed. 

''Wait  for  breakfast  here!"  exclaimed  Jones; 
*'not  on  your  life.  If  they  expect  me  to  bathe 
after  dinner,  most  likely  they'll  expect  me  to 
go  for  a  swim  in  the  fishpond  after  breakfast ! 
Oh,  no,  I'm  not  eating  breakfast  in  this  place." 

In  spite  of  all  Jack's  protestations,  Jones  re- 
mained adamant,  so  Jack  was  compelled  to  get 
up  and  dress. 

Outside  of  the  hotel  the  air  was  particularly 
keen,  the  thermometer  registering  43  degrees 
below  zero. 

*'Well,  Jack,"  remarked  Jones  as  they 
walked  along,  *'I'm  makin'  for  the  inside  of  the 
first  Chink  restaurant  that  I  see." 

They  did  not  go  far  before  Jones  saw  what 
he  was  looking  for,  and  over  a  substantial 
breakfast  of  ham,  eggs,  and  hot  cakes,  they  dis- 
cussed their  future  plans. 

**It's  no  good  making  a  move  for  two  weeks, 
Jack,  for  the  frost  is  unlikely  to  break  before 
then,  so  we'd  better  find  some  cheap  lodgings 
an'  just  hang  about." 

Jack  was  agreeable,  so,  breakfast  over,  they 
set  out  on  their  quest  for  lodgings.   Acting  on 


THE  GATES  OF  THE  WEST         71 

the  information  given  them  by  a  policeman  on 
point  duty,  they  reached  a  part  of  the  town 
where  they  got  comfortable  lodgings  at  a  rea- 
sonable rate.  As  they  were  both  too  active  to 
enjoy  idleness,  even  only  for  a  few  days,  they 
quickly  secured  temporary  work  at  a  large 
livery  stable,  and  as  soon  as  the  winter  showed 
signs  of  breaking  up  they  bought  their  tickets 
for  Calgary. 

It  was  after  leaving  Winnipeg  that  Jack  got 
his  first  glimpse  of  the  vast  rolling  prairie,  and 
the  suggestion  of  limitless  space  it  conveyed 
brought  back  to  him  vivid  memories  of  his  brief 
experiences  as  a  sailor.  Instantly  he  knew  that 
he  would  love  the  outdoor,  adventurous  life 
ahead,  with  the  days  spent  in  the  saddle,  as 
Jones  had  told  him,  riding  over  these  seemingly 
limitless  plains.  His  blood  quickened  at  the 
thought  of  it,  and  throughout  the  day  his  eyes 
remained  glued  to  the  window.  The  small  typic- 
ally Western  villages  they  passed  through  ab- 
sorbed his  interest,  and  he  directed  an  endless 
stream  of  questions  at  Jones,  who  good- 
naturedly  answered  them  all  and  encouraged 
Jack  in  his  riotous  enthusiasm. 

Early  the  following  morning  and  before  it 
was  daylight  they  arrived  in  Calgary.    Jones 


72  MAKING  GOOD 

made  inquiries  of  the  time  the  first  train  left 
for  the  little  town  in  the  foothills  which  was 
their  ultimate  destination.  They  then  had 
breakfast,  and  caught  their  train,  which  took 
them  through  the  ranching  country.  Occasional 
glimpses  were  obtained  of  riders  galloping  over 
the  prairies,  and  the  thousands  of  head  of  stock 
which  were  grazing  made  it  plain  that  this  was 
the  home  of  the  ranchers. 

They  descended  from  the  train  at  the  small 
station,  and  were  now  in  a  typical  ranching 
town.  In  front  of  each  of  the  rambling  wooden 
stores  was  to  be  seen  the  ever  familiar  **  hitch- 
ing pole,''  to  which  were  fastened  wiry  and 
occasionally  wicked-looking  bronchos.  Tied  to 
the  stock  saddle  was  the  lariat  or  lasso,  the 
stock  in  trade  of  every  cow-puncher. 

**Well,  Jack,  you  must  understand  that  a 
man  never  walks  in  a  cow  country,  and  weVe 
got  to  hire  a  rig  at  the  livery  stable  and  have 
them  drive  us  out.'' 

They  walked  over  to  the  livery  stable,  around 
which  lounged  several  men  clad  in  the  typical 
outfit  of  the  Western  cow-puncher — Stetson 
hat-,  loosely  tied,  gaudily  colored  neckerchief, 
and  woolly  **chapporals,"  better  known  as 
** chaps."    These  latter  are,  briefly,  lambskin 


THE  GATES  OF  THE  WEST         73 

trousers  which  protect  the  legs  of  the  rider. 
They  buckle  up  at  the  top  in  the  same  way  as 
a  belt.  Jones  asked  for  the  proprietor. 

'*Any  chance  of  a  rig  to  drive  us  out  to 
Mr.  Mcintosh's  ranch T'  he  asked. 

**Yes,"  was  the  prompt  reply,  **Q.  Z.  ranch, 
eh,  about  four  miles  awayT' 

** That's  the  place."  As  they  waited  for  the 
rig  being  got  ready,  Jack  looked  over  the  men 
lounging  around.  They  made  a  picturesque 
group,  and  he  admired  their  wiry,  athletic 
frames  and  noticed  the  peculiar  walk  which  a 
man  develops  after  constant  riding  in  the  sad- 
dle, a  walk  just  as  typical  of  the  cow-puncher 
as  the  **rolP'  of  the  sailor.  Indeed,  it  is  very 
similar.  Not  only  does  the  life  lived  in  the  sad- 
dle give  a  peculiarity  to  his  walk,  but  it  gives 
a  distinct  and  distinguishing  curve  to  his  legs. 
Their  constant  exposure  to  the  varying  kinds 
of  weather  gives  a  leathery  appearance  to  the 
skin,  more  or  less  in  keeping  with  their  pic- 
turesque outfit.  Jack  took  note  of  all  these 
things,  and  then  and  there  determined  that  he 
would  in  time  become  as  daring,  as  skillful,  and 
of  as  striking  appearance  as  any  of  them.  As 
the  horses  were  being  hitched  up  to  the  rig  one 


74  MAKING  GOOD 

of  the  several  men  lounging  about  came  up  to 
Jones. 

'*  Going  out  to  the  Q.  Z.T'  he  asked. 

** Eight  away,"  replied  Jones;  **have  an  in- 
vitation from  Mr.  Mcintosh  which  he  extended 
to  us  to  call  on  him . ' ' 

**Well,  I'm  going  out  that  way,  an'  if  you 
wouldn't  mind  waiting  while  I  get  my  hoss  I'll 
ride  out  with  you." 

''Glad  to  have  your  company,"  replied  Jones. 

In  a  few  minutes  their  new  acquaintance  re- 
turned leading  his  pony,  and  as  Jones  and  Jack 
climbed  into  the  rig  he  leaped  lightly  into  the 
saddle,  quite  unconcerned  at  the  vicious  antics 
of  his  half-wild  broncho. 

As  he  ''loped"  along  by  the  side  of  the  rig  he 
carried  on  a  spasmodic  conversation  with 
Jones. 

"Been  in  this  country  before?"  he  inquired. 

"Nope,"  replied  Jones,  slipping  into  the 
familiar  phraseology  and  dialect  of  the  range; 
"been  in  Texas,  though." 

"Know  Mr.  Mcintosh?"  he  asked. 

"Yes;  met  him  in  Winnipeg.  He  said  if  we 
came  down  here  he'd  give  us  both  a  job.  D'ye 
know  him?" 

"Yes,  work  for  him." 


^ 


THE  GATES  OF  THE  WEST         75 

The  conversation,  carried  on  with  long  inter- 
vals, was  kept  up  until  the  buildings  of  the  Q.  Z. 
ranch  came  in  view.  It  was  easy  to  see  by  the 
extent  of  them  and  of  the  *^ corrals'*  that  this 
was  what  was  commonly  known  as  '*a  large- 
sized  ranch.''  The  ** corrals,"  which  at  once 
took  Jack's  eye  and  excited  his  interest,  were 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  railed-in  inclosures 
of  stout  poles.  Two  large  flattened  posts  were 
driven  into  the  ground,  leaving  a  space  between 
them  sufficiently  wide  to  receive  the  ends  of  the 
poles,  laid  horizontally.  They  were  then  care- 
fully built  up  to  a  height  of  usually  about  seven 
feet,  but,  as  the  end  of  the  pole  on  the  left  of 
the  posts  rested  on  the  end  of  the  one  on  the 
right,  there  was  a  space  between  each  pole 
equal  to  its  thickness.  This  enabled  any  one 
outside  the  corral  to  see  quite  easily  what  was 
happening  inside.  The  great  utility  of  a  corral 
fence  was  that  any  section  could  be  taken  down 
to  permit  of  an  opening  being  made,  and  quickly 
built  up  again,  without  in  any  way  impairing 
the  general  structure.  The  purpose  of  the  cor- 
rals will  become  increasingly  evident  as  we  fol- 
low Jack's  career  as  a  cow-puncher. 

As  they  approached  the  house  their  com- 
panion, without  even  a  nod  for  a  farewell,^ 


rik 


76  MAKING  GOOD 

dashed  off  in  the  direction  of  the  outbuildings. 
The  spasmodic  nature  of  the  conversation  and 
this  abrupt  farewell  made  Jack  wonder  why  the 
rider  should  have  expressed  a  desire  to  ride  to 
the  ranch  with  them  at  all.  But  he  was  soon 
to  learn  that  the  companionship  of  the  range 
was  one  of  silence;  men  rode  side  by  side  for 
hours  without  exchanging  a  word,  but  never- 
theless appreciating  to  the  full  the  enjoyment 
of  companionship.  The  man  who  talked  contin- 
uously was  looked  upon  with  suspicion;  the 
more  a  man  talked  the  less  capable  he  was  con- 
sidered to  be. 

The  home  of  the  rancher  was  an  attractive- 
looking,  long,  low  bungalow  with  a  wide,  spa- 
cious veranda.  It  was  built  on  a  knoll  and  com- 
manded an  extensive  view  of  the  rolling  ranch 
lands.  The  door  opened  and  the  rancher  stood 
on  the  threshold.  He  quickly  recognized  the 
newcomers. 

'* Welcome,  boys,  welcome;  I'm  real  pleased 
you've  kept  your  word  and  looked  me  up.'* 

He  came  to  the  rig  and  shook  them  heartily 

by  the  hand.  The  warmth  of  his  welcome  went 

straight  to  Jack's  heart:  it  was  the  first  **home 

^ouch"  he  had  experienced  since  he  left  his 

^ome  in  Jersey. 

**  Just  leave  your  luggage  outside  while  I  take 


THE  GATES  OF  THE  WEST         77 

you  in  to  introduce  you  to  my  family.  They  all 
know  about  you  and  will  be  real  glad  to  meet 
you." 

Once  inside  the  bungalow  there  followed  in- 
troductions to  the  rancher's  family.  In  addition 
to  his  wife,  there  was  a  nephew  about  a  year 
older  than  Jack,  and  a  daughter  about  a  year 
younger.  The  lad,  Chris,  was,  as  Jack  was  soon 
to  learn,  surly  and  ill-tempered,  ever  ready  for 
a  quarrel,  and  inordinately  proud  of  his  unde- 
niable skill  as  a  cow-puncher.  The  girl,  good 
looking,  and  with  the  jaunty,  confident  bearing 
of  the  Western  **  cowgirl, ''  was  frankly  pleased 
to  see  them.  The  rancher  invited  them  to  par- 
take of  the  meal  then  being  prepared,  after 
which  he  himself  took  them  over  to  the  men's 
quarters  and  introduced  them  to  the  foreman. 

**  These  are  the  two  boys  I  told  you  about, 
Bill,"  he  said;  **just  fix  'em  up  with  a  bunk 
and  blankets  for  to-night.  I'll  see  you  about 
them  in  the  morning. " 

After  he  had  gone  and  they  had  settled  down. 
Jack  took  stock  of  his  surroundings.  The  men 
were  housed  in  two  large  buildings,  one  for 
sleeping  and  one  for  eating.  He  was  allotted 
a  comfortable  bunk  alongside  Jones  and  was 
given  a  plentiful  supply  of  blankets. 

Well,  Jack,"  said  Jones  as  they  turned  in 


78  MAKING  GOOD 

for  the  night,  **weVe  been  on  our  way  a  long 
time,  and  have  had  all  kinds  of  'upsets,*  but 
weVe  arrived,  and  I  think  you'll  be  happier 
here  than  you  would  have  been  on  board  the 
Jersey," 

*'I'm  sure  of  that,  Joe.  From  to-morrow  I'm 
gping  to  throw  my  whole  heart  and  soul  into 
the  work.'' 

** That's  the  spirit,  Jack,  boy;  keep  it  up  and 
you're  bound  to  make  good." 


# 


CHAPTER  VI 


ON  THE  EANCH 


THE  following  morning  Mr.  Mcintosh, 
whose  interest  in  them  proved  to  be  thor- 
oughly genuine,  came  down  to  the  men's  quar- 
ters to  see  that  the  new  arrivals  were  properly 
fixed  up,  as  he  said.  He  selected  a  horse  for 
Jones,  who,  thoroughly  experienced  rider  that 
he  was,  was  quite  ready  to  take  on  his  new 
duties.  This  done,  he  turned  to  his  nephew  who 
had  accompanied  him. 

** Chris,''  he  said,  **you  take  this  boy  in  hand 
for  a  week  or  two  and  get  him  thoroughly  used 
to  riding,  so  that  he  can  take  his  place  among 
the  rest  of  the  boys." 

He  then  turned  to  Jack. 

**Now,  it's  up  to  you.  Young,  to  make  good. 
You've  been  quite  frank  about  what  you  can't 
do,  so  I  want  to  give  you  a  fair  chance,  and  I 
haven 't  any  doubts  about  the  result.  Chris  here 
will  help  you  to  get  acquainted  with  a  pony,  so 
that  you  can  soon  take  your  place  on  the  range. ' ' 

79 


80  MAKING  GOOD 

He  then  walked  away  and  left  Jack  in  the 
care  of  Chris. 

**What  d^ou  want  to  be  around  a  ranch  for 
if  you  can't  rideT'  growled  the  latter  in  surly 
tones. 

**0h,  I  can  ride  a  bit,'*  replied  Jack  cheer- 
fully. **I  only  want  a  bit  more  experience. '^ 

**  Well,  if  it's  experience  you  want  you'll  jolly 
soon  get  it.  Come  along  this  way  and  we'll  see 
what  you  can  do." 

Now  this  conversation  had  been  overheard  by 
many  of  the  boys  in  the  **bunk  house,"  as  the 
men's  quarters  were  called. 

The  rancher's  nephew  was  no  favorite,  and 
they  knew  that  Jack  was  in  for  a  rough  time 
as  he  walked  away  with  him  toward  the  corral. 
At  the  same  time,  the  prospect  of  a  bit  of  fun 
at  the  expense  of  this  young  greenhorn  was  not 
to  be  resisted,  and  even  though  they  knew  that 
they  would  have  to  laugh  with  Chris,  they  were 
quite  prepared  to  overlook  this  disagreeable 
feature  of  what  promised  to  be  a  really  interest- 
ing time.  Unpopular  though  Chris  was,  there 
were  few  of  the  riders  who  could  give  a  more 
skillful  display  than  he  of  horsemanship  on  a 
bucking  broncho.  His  favorite  pony  was  a 
smart-looking  black  gelding  recently  broke  into 


ON  THE  RANCH  81 

the  saddle  and  only  mastered  after  a  difficult 
duel.  Accustomed  as  they  were  to  these  half- 
wild  equine  creatures,  with  that  inherited  love 
of  freedom  which  violently  resisted  any  attempt 
to  restrain  it,  many  of  the  boys,  with  proud 
reputations  for  skill  and  daring,  avoided  con- 
tact with  the  pony  which  Chris  was  now  lead- 
ing out,  and  which  was  being  provided  as  a  test 
of  Jack's  horsemanship. 

*^0h,  say,''  remarked  one  lanky  youth,  **give 
the  kid  a  chance  unless  you  want  to  have  'im 
killed  an'  done  with." 

Chris  turned  round  on  him  fiercely. 

''You  mind  your  own  business.  Slim;  if  he 
wants  to  learn  to  ride,  let  him  learn  in  one  les- 
son or  else  get  off  the  ranch.  We  don't  want 
half-baked  cow-punchers  among  the  Q.  Z. 
crowd.  If  he  breaks  his  neck,  that's  his  funeral, 
not  mine." 

This  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  rancher's 
nephew  was  one  of  pure  selfishness.  His  repu- 
tation as  a  horseman  stood  very  high,  indeed 
for  his  age  he  was  unequaled.  He  was  extremely 
sensitive  to  rivalry,  and  in  Jack  he  saw  a  poten- 
tial rival. 

Why  not,  he  reasoned,  knock  him  out  in  the 
first  round  and  get  rid  of  him?  If  he  could  go 


82  MAKING  GOOD 

back  to  his  uncle  and  say  that  Jack  was  abso- 
lutely no  good  as  a  horseman  and  never  would 
be  any  good,  then  Jack  would  be  given  the  hum- 
ble and  menial  duties  of  *^ chore  boy!''  At  the 
outset  of  his  newly  chosen  profession  Jack  was 
confronted  with  the  severest  and,  compara- 
tively speaking,  the  most  difficult  test  he  would 
T^er  be  called  upon  to  face. 

He  made  no  comment  on  this  obviously  unfair 
method  of  testing  his  capabilities  as  a  rider. 
He  had  been  quite  frank  with  Mr.  Mcintosh; 
he  had  not  pretended  to  be  a  rider,  and  the 
rancher,  appreciating  his  frankness,  had  given 
instructions  that  he  should  be  taught;  but  his 
nephew,  to  whom  had  been  delegated  the  task 
of  teaching,  had  decided  otherwise.  It  was  not 
to  be  a  lesson  in  horsemanship,  but  a  test. 
Jack's  mouth  tightened  and  a  grim  fighting  ex- 
pression settled  upon  his  face. 

**I'll  tackle  the  horse  first,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, ** after  which  I'll  have  a  go  at  the  teacher." 

He  had  too  much  spirit  to  offer  a  protest,  and 
toa  much  pride  ever  to  make  a  complaint  to 
Mr.  Mcintosh.  Probably  the  most  interested 
onlooker  was  Jones,  whose  first  impulse  had 
been  to  put  a  stop  to  this  unfair  treatment,  but 
seeing  the  expression  on  Jack's  face,  he  said 


9 


ON  THE  RANCH  83 

to  himself,  **No,  the  kid  is  going  to  make  a 
^ght  of  it,  an'  it  will  do  him  good." 

The  rolling  eye  of  the  broncho  as  he  was  led 
into  the  corral  was  a  plain  warning  that  he  was 
prepared  to  make  trouble  for  whoever  proposed 
to  take  a  tilt  with  him. 

*^Here  you  are,"  said  Chris,  handing  the^ 
bridle  lines  to  Jack,  **  climb  up  if  you  can,  and 
let  us  see  what  you  're  made  of. ' ' 

Jack,  with  a  determined  **do-or-die"  expres- 
sion on  his  face,  took  hold  of  the  lines  and  made 
a  motion  as  if  he  were  going  to  climb  into  the 
saddle.  But  the  broncho,  seeing  and  anticipa- 
ting this,  swerved  round  slightly  toward  him, 
reared,  and  then  struck  at  him  violently  with 
his  front  feet.  It  was  only  Jack's  agility  that 
saved  him  from  a  nasty  blow ;  but  no  sooner  had 
he  averted  this  frontal  attack  than  the  broncho 
swerved  from  him,  dropped  his  head,  and  let 
out  with  his  hind  feet.  This  time  Jack  did  not 
get  quite  clear  and  received  a  nasty  kick  on  the 
right  leg  above  the  knee.  In  spite  of  the  momen- 
tary pain  (for  fortunately  it  had  been  a  glanc- 
ing blow).  Jack's  determination  to  get  on  the 
broncho's  back  had  not  weakened,  and  his 
plucky  attitude  won  for  him  many  new  friends 
among  the  onlookers. 


84  MAKING  GOOD 

The  broncho  next  reared  up  high  on  his 
haunches,  and  for  a  moment  it  looked  as  though 
he  would  come  down  on  Jack's  head.  He 
stepped  lightly  to  one  side,  and  as  the  bron- 
cho came  down  heavily  on  his  front  feet,  he 
slipped  his  left  foot  into  the  stirrup,  with  his 
back  to  the  pony's  head,  grasped  the  horn  of 

.,  the  stock  saddle  with  his  left  hand,  and  the  back 
%■■■ 
part  of  the  saddle  with  his  right  (as  he  had 

been  taught  to  do  by  Jones),  and  vaulted  lightly 

into  the  saddle. 

For  a  greenhorn  this  was,  as  one  of  the  on- 
lookers said,  **a  nifty  piece  of  work,''  and  there 
was  a  spontaneous  shout  of  approbation. 

**That  kid's  no  slouch,"  shouted  Jones  enthu- 
siastically, delighted  that  Jack  had  won  the  first 
round  of  the  bout  with  the  broncho.  There  was 
an  ugly  scowl  on  the  face  of  Chris ;  he  had  not 
anticipated  even  this  success  for  Jack.  How- 
ever, the  latter 's  troubles  had  only  begun,  for 
scarcely  had  he  touched  the  saddle  than  he  was 
bounced  up  out  of  it.  He  dropped  back  with  a 
thud  that  almost  shook  his  teeth  loose,  and  only 
maintained  his  seat  by  wildly  grabbing  at  the 
horn  of  the  saddle. 

** Don't  pull  leather,  Jack,"  shouted  Jones; 
**let  him  throw  you  first."    There  was  a  con- 


ON  THE  RANCH  85 

temptnous  sneer  on  the  face  of  Chris,  and  Jack 
momentarily  suffered  a  loss  of  the  respect  and 
approval  that  he  had  so  recently  won  from  the 
onlookers. 

** Pulling  leather"  was  a  method  of  retain- 
ing one's  seat  that  went  against  all  the  sport- 
ing instincts  of  the  cow-punchers.  To  pull 
leather  was  to  seize  hold  of  the  horn  of  the 
stock  saddle,  the  part  projecting  in  the  front 
and  around  which  the  lariat  rope  was  twisted 
after  an  animal  had  been  roped.  This  was  con- 
sidered to  be  taking  an  unfair  advantage  of  a 
horse,  and  a  practiced  rider  who  could  not  stay 
in  the  saddle  by  skillfully  distributing  his  bal- 
ance and  by  maintaining  a  steady  grip  with  his 
knees  would  rather  be  thrown  than  pull  leather. 
Jack's  action  was  prompted  by  ignorance  of 
the  etiquette  of  ^^bronchobusting"  and  by  a 
perfectly  natural  instinct  to  seize  hold  of  the 
first  thing  handy  to  save  himself.  He  heard 
Jones 's  warning,  saw  the  sneer  on  Chris 's  face, 
and  knew  that  he  had  committed  some  serious 
breach  of  the  rules  of  the  game.  Though  not  the 
thing  to  do,  it  undeniably  helped  him  to  get  his 
balance  and  to  give  him  time  to  get  a  good  grip 
with  his  knees,  as  he  remembered  Jones  had 
always  advised  him  to  do;  for  it  was  in  Jack's 


86  MAKING  GOOD 

favor  that  he  was  cool  and  collected.  He  was 
thinking  rapidly,  even  though  he  was  under- 
going a  difficult  and  unenviable  experience  that 
was  always  to  live  in  his  memory. 

The  broncho  next  attempted  to  throw  Jack 
by  violently  bucking.  Up  he  would  go  into  the 
air,  arch  his  back,  and  drop  his  head,  and  then 
come  down  on  all  fours  with  a  tremendous  con- 
cussion. Lights  danced  in  front  of  Jack's  eyes, 
his  teeth  were  almost  shaken  loose,  but  in  spite 
of  it  all  he  somehow  managed  to  hang  on  to  his 
seat,  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  noisy  demon- 
stration of  admiration  from  the  onlookers. 
True,  there  was  nothing  very  elegant  about  the 
way  he  kept  in  the  saddle;  it  lacked  that  easy 
assurance  of  the  skillful  rider ;  but  at  any  rate 
he  was  putting  up  a  good  fight. 

This  was  not  all  in  keeping  with  the  expecta- 
tions of  Chris.  He  had  confidently  expected  that 
Jack  would  never  even  get  into  the  saddle,  much 
less  remain  there.  He  was  annoyed  with  his 
pony,  and  furious  to  think  that  there  was  a 
prospect  that  the  laugh  would  be  against  him. 
He  stepped  quickly  over  to  the  pony,  raised  his 
*  Squirt,''  and  brought  it  across  the  pony's  flanks 
with  a  resounding  thud.  The  result  was  the  final 
undoing  of  Jack,  for  the  pony  raised  and  shot 


ON  THE  EANCH  87 

out  his  hind  legs  with  tremendous  vigor,  and 
precipitated  the  lad  over  his  head  in  a  twink- 
ling. Fortunately  Jack  was  only  shaken,  and 
he  laughed  as  Jones,  who  had  rushed  over  to 
him,  helped  him  to  his  feet. 

*^A  lucky  fall  that,  Joe,  and  it  came  before 
I  realized  what  had  happened, ''  he  remarked, 
as  he  dusted  his  clothes. 

*^That  wasn't  a  white  man's  trick,  Jack,  and 
I'm  go  in'  to  make  him  pay  for  it." 

** Don't  bother,  Joe,  just  leave  him  to  me. 
I'd  decided  before  I  got  into  the  saddle  that 
I'd  settle  with  him  after  I  was  through  with  the 
pony." 

He  left  Jones  and  walked  over  to  Chris,  who 
had  caught  the  pony  and  was  on  the  point  of 
leading  him  out  of  the  corral. 

*^Just  a  minute,"  he  said  with  a  quiet  note 
of  determination  in  his  voice ;  *  ^  I  may  not  know 
all  the  rules  of  the  game  in  riding  bronchos,  but 
I  think  I  know  how  to  play  the  game  between 
man  and  man,  which,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  more 
than  you  do." 

*^What  d'you  mean?"  replied  Chris,  turning 
on  him  fiercely. 

**I  only  mean  that  you  acted  like  the  low- 
down  cad  you  are  by  first  of  all  giving  me  a 


88  MAKING  GOOD 

pony  to  ride  that  only  an  expert  cow-pnncher 
could  handle,  and  then  deliberately  maddening 
the  pony  until  he  threw  me.'' 

**Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?" 

*^0h,  nothing  much,  except  settle  with  you 
right  now.'' 

*  *  Settle  with  me  I  Why,  I'll  give  you  the  worst 
hiding  you  ever  had  in  your  life  if  you  talk  to 
me  like  that." 

*' That's  just  what  I  want  you  to  try  to  do," 
replied  Jack  quietly. 

**IIere,  Slim,"  called  out  Chris,  **just  take 
my  pony  while  I  teach  this  greenhorn  some 
manners." 

The  boys  now  drew  in  closer;  this  promised 
to  be  one  of  the  best  morning's  sport  they  had 
had  for  some  time.  Slim  approached  and  took 
charge  of  the  pony,  while  Chris  turned  round 
to  Jack. 

**I  won't  take  off  my  coat,"  he  said,  **for 
I  scarcely  think  that  will  be  necessary." 

** Neither  will  I,"  replied  Jack,  buttoning  up 
his  coat,  **or  else  you'll  be  making  that  an 
excuse  of  how  it  came  about  that  I  gave  you  a 
good  hiding." 

The  physical  advantage  was  decidedly  with 
the  rancher's  nephew,  for  he  was  taller  and 


ON  THE  RANCH  89 

heavier  than  Jack,  but  Jack  was  nimble  and 
particularly  clever  with  his  feet.  A  fight  was 
nothing  new  to  him ;  in  his  school  days  his  abil- 
ity had  been  unquestioned,  and  had  gained  for 
him  a  respect  among  his  schoolfellows. 

If  Chris  was  far  ahead  of  Jack  as  a  rider, 
Jack  was  just  as  much  his  superior  as  a  fighter. 
The  fight  did  not  last  long.  Chris  made  a  rush 
at  Jack  as  though  to  finish  him  off  with  one 
blow,  but  Jack  promptly  shot  out  a  beautifully 
timed  left  to  the  jaw,  which  brought  his  an- 
tagonist to  an  abrupt  pause,  and  the  applause 
that  followed  it  showed  very  clearly  where  the 
^* boys'  ''  sympathy  lay. 

*^That  was  a  real  beauty,"  shouted  Slim 
enthusiastically,  and  in  his  eagerness  to  see  the 
fight  he  let  the  pony  wander  off  at  his  own  sweet 
will.  Jack  was  quick  to  see  his  advantage  as  his 
antagonist  stood  dazed  and  undecided  in  front 
of  him;  he  feinted  with  the  left,  and  then 
brought  the  right  across  to  the  point  of  his  op- 
ponent's jaw,  putting  the  whole  weight  of  his 
body  behind  it.  Chris  dropped  like  a  log,  and  lay 
there  until  he  was  picked  up  and  carried  into 
the  bunk  house. 

Jones  rushed  over  to  Jack.  '^You're  a  real 
terror  to  fight,  kid,  and  you  did  that  beauti- 


90  MAKING  GOOD 

fully.  You  can  bet  your  life  he  won^t  be  so  dis- 
respectful to  you  in  the  future.  A  conceited 
young  kid  like  him  needed  it.'^ 

*^Yes,  he  did,"  replied  Jack,  *^but  I'm  sorry 
it  happened  all  the  same.  I  suppose  Mr.  Mc- 
intosh will  be  turning  us  both  loose,  and  I  would 
be  sorry  for  that  after  the  kind  way  he  has 
treated  us.'' 

*^ Don't  you  worry  about  that.  If  he  does 
we  can  soon  pick  up  another  job,  but  I  don't 
think  he  will.  He's  not  so  powerful  struck  on 
his  nephew,  leastways  so  the  boys  say,  an '  more 
than  likely  he  will  say  it  served  him  right." 

For  a  youngster,  and  particularly  a  green- 
horn. Jack  was  quickly  taken  into  the  fellow- 
ship of  those  who  ride  the  plains.  The  plucky 
way  in  which  he  tackled  the  half-tamed  bron- 
cho, and  his  prompt  and  skillful  settling  with 
Chris  for  the  mean  and  contemptible  trick  he 
had  played,  won  for  him  the  immediate  friend- 
ship and  good  will  of  the  boys  of  the  Q.  Z.  ranch. 
They  judged  a  man  by  his  pluck  and  daring, 
and  also  by  his  ability  to  use  his  fists — ^which 
last  was  rapidly  taking  the  place  in  their  esti- 
mation of  the  speed  by  which  he  could  draw  a 
revolver. 

When  Mr.  Mcintosh  heard  of  the  fight  he 


ON  THE  RANCH  91 

completely  exonerated  Jack.  Chris  did  not  meet 
with  any  sympathy  from  him.  **You  had  no 
earthly  right  to  put  him  np  on  that  pony.  Had 
I  known  that  you  were  going  to  do  that  I  should 
have  taken  him  in  hand  myself,  and  as  for  the 
contemptible  trick  you  played  on  him — well, 
all  I  can  say  is  that  I'm  glad  he  gave  you  what 
you  deserved.  He  hasn't  lived  on  a  pony's  back 
all  his  life  as  you  have,  and  I  intended  that  he 
should  be  given  a  fair  chance  to  make  good, 
which  I  am  sure  he  will.  He  seems  pretty 
capable  of  taking  care  of  himself  as  far  as  you 
are  concerned,  and  all  I  can  say  is  that  I'll  leave 
you  to  him  if  you  play  him  up  in  any  way." 

To  Jack  he  said,  **I'm  sorry  to  hear  there  has 
been  trouble  between  you  and  Chris,  and  I  want 
you  to  forget  it.  I  don't  blam^  you  in  any  way 
for  what  happened.  From  all  accounts  Chris 
did  not  play  the  game  with  you,  and  he  de- 
served the  hiding  you  gave  him.  As  long  as 
you  do  your  work  in  a  satisfactory  way  there'll 
be  no  kick  coming  from  me.  As  you  seem  to 
have  made  a  pretty  good  show  with  that  tricky 
broncho  I've  told  Bill  to  give  you  a  pony  and 
to  make  you  one  of  the  regular  riders.  Of 
course  you  have  a  lot  to  learn  yet,  but  the  boys 
have  taken  a  fancy  to  you  and  you'll  find  them 


92  MAKING  GOOD 

willing  to  teach  you  all  the  tricks.  As  soon  as 
you  are  ready  to  take  your  place  in  the  round-up 
I'll  pay  you  the  same  wage  as  the  other  boys 
are  getting.'' 

Jack's  feelings  after  this  will  be  easily  imag- 
ined. He  had  been  afraid  that  the  trouble  with 
Chris  would  have  led  to  his  dismissal,  in  which 
case,  of  course,  Jones  would  have  gone  with 
him.  As  Jones  had  said,  this  would  not  by  any 
means  have  been  a  calamity,  as  there  was 
always  a  job  waiting  for  a  rider ;  but  Jack  had 
appreciated  to  the  full  the  kindness  and  the 
hospitality  of  the  owner  of  the  Q.  Z.  ranch,  and 
particularly  remembered  the  kind  way  he  had 
spoken  to  him  in  the  hotel  at  Winnipeg,  and 
to  have  left  the  ranch  more  or  less  in  disgrace 
would  have  been  a  bitter  blow  to  him. 

€hris  did  not  take  his  beating  in  a  very  sport- 
ing spirit.  It  was  the  severest  blow  that  his  dig- 
nity had  ever  suffered,  and  the  fact  that  details 
of  the  fight  had  become  the  common  knowledge 
of  the  riders  on  the  range  increased  his  feelings 
of  enmity  toward  Jack.  It  is  true  that  he  re- 
frained from  showing  his  feelings  in  an  open 
way,  for  he  knew  that  his  uncle  never  said  a 
thing  that  he  did  not  mean,  and  he  was  wise 
enough  not  to  ignore  a  very  emphatic  warning. 


ON  THE  EANCH  93 

But  he  found  ways  and  means  of  making  him- 
self unpleasant.  On  one  occasion,  for  instance, 
Jack^s  pony,  a  frisky  but  by  no  means  vicious 
animal,  went  into  a  perfect  frenzy  of  madness 
until  he  had  thrown  his  rider,  and  Slim,  who 
was  on  the  spot  at  the  time  and  knew  the  tricks 
that  could  be  played  on  a  novice,  immediately 
removed  the  saddle  and  found  a  prickly  cactus 
under  the  saddle  cloth.  It  had  been  slipped 
under  while  Jack,  leaving  his  horse  tied  to  a 
corral  fence,  had  gone  to  give  a  helping  hand 
with  a  troublesome  young  steer  that  was  being 
branded.  Of  course  Jack  could  do  nothing  ex- 
cept keep  his  eyes  open  so  that  the  same  kind 
of  thing  shouldn't  happen  again. 

Annoying  and  distressing  as  this  petty  per- 
secution was,  it  was  more  than  compensated 
for  by  the  consistent  kindness  of  the  rancher, 
and  his  wife  and  daughter.  Mrs.  Mcintosh's 
motherly  heart  had  been  touched  by  the  story 
of  Jack's  hardships  aboard  the  Jersey  and  the 
subsequent  difficulties  he  had  experienced  be- 
fore arriving  at  the  Q.  Z.  ranch.  Her  daugh- 
ter Joan  was  frankly  friendly  toward  him,  and 
among  his  happiest  experiences  were  some  mad, 
exhilarating  gallops  with  her  over  the  prairies. 
She  was  as  accomplished  as  any  rider  on  the 


94  MAKING  GOOD 

Q.  Z.  rancli,  and  her  skill  with  the  rope  was  sim- 
ply amazing.  It  was  mainly  from  her  that  Jack 
learned  to  use  it  himself  with  a  dexterity  that 
soon  landed  him  among  the  first  flight  of 
**  ropers.'' 

Jack  never  spent  an  idle  moment  from  day- 
light to  dark,  and  when  not  out  riding  or  husy 
with  the  work  around  the  ranch,  he  was  practic- 
ing assiduously  at  those  arts  in  which  it  was 
the  aim  of  every  cow-puncher  to  excel.  The 
lasso  became  a  thing  of  life  in  his  hands;  it 
unwound  itself  like  a  snake,  moving  unerringly 
toward  its  object  and  encircling  it  with  amaz- 
ing rapidity  and  certainty. 

Jack  had  soon  been  able  to  equip  himself 
with  all  the  trappings  of  the  cowboy,  including 
the  ever-present  automatic.  It  was  one  of  his 
chief  aims  to  become  an  expert  shot.  A  fair  pro- 
portion of  his  wages  was  spent  in  replenishing 
his  supply  of  ammunition,  as  never  a  day  passed 
but  what  he  fired  off  two  or  three  dozen  rounds. 
Naturally,  with  such  constant  practice,  he 
rapidly  became  expert,  and  his  deadly  accuracy 
in  shooting  from  his  horse  was  unequaled.  A 
favorite  trick  of  his  was  to  ride  after  the  coyote 
or  prairie  wolf,  and  to  fire  at  it  from  the  saddle, 
usually  with  telling  effect.   This  was  all  to  the 


ON  THE  EANCH  95 

benefit  of  the  ranch,  for  the  coyote  is  a  very 
destructive  animal,  especially  among  young 
calves,  and  a  bounty  was  paid  for  every  coyote 
killed.  They  were  usually  very  brazen,  and 
sometimes  allowed  Jack  to  ride  comparatively 
close  up  to  them,  only  slinking  away  in  a  surly 
manner,  and  not  infrequently  showing  their 
teeth  as  they  were  retreating.  Out  would  flash 
Jack's  automatic,  and  in  a  twinkling  the  coyote 
would  be  rolling  over  in  its  death  agony. 

It  was  Jack's  success  in  dealing  with  the 
coyotes  that  gained  for  him  the  nickname 
^^ Coyote  Jack,"  and  in  spite  of  his  youth  he 
quickly  became  a  celebrity  on  the  range — which 
was  a  matter  of  no  little  pride  to  Jones. 

The  cow-punchers  usually  rode  and  worked 
in  pairs  while  on  the  range,  and  Jack  and  Jones 
were  inseparable.  In  spite  of  his  rapidly 
acquired  accomplishments.  Jack  still  regarded 
himself  as  the  merest  novice,  and  continued  to 
look  up  to  his  friend  as  his  ideal,  for  of  all  the 
riders  of  the  Q.  Z.  ranch  there  was  none  more 
efficient  and  capable  than  Jones. 

It  was  while  working  together  on  the  range 
that  the  ex-sailor  figured  once  again  las  the  pre- 
server of  Jack's  life.  It  must  be  understood 
that  in  every  large  herd  of  cattle  grazing  on  the 


96  MAKING  GOOD 

prairies  there  were  a  few  specially  picked  bulls 
who  grazed  with  the  herd.  They  were  fairly 
good-natured,  unless  in  any  way  seriously  mo- 
lested, when  they  would  round  on  any  one  or 
anything  that  annoyed  them — not  infrequently 
another  bull — and  a  battle  royal  would  result. 

In  this  instance  the  molester  happened  to  be 
Jack,  and  bulls,  when  aroused,  are  never  in- 
clined to  show  any  preferential  treatment,  even 
toward  human  beings.  Jack  and  Jones  had  been 
detailed  off  to  run  into  the  corral  a  certain 
number  of  cattle  which  were  eventually  to  be 
shipped  off  to  the  stock  market  in  Calgary. 
They  rode  over  to  where  the  herd  were  graz- 
ing and  picked  out  the  ones  most  suitable — a 
difficult  matter  for  any  but  the  most  accom- 
plished riders,  for  there  is  nothing  more  stub- 
born and  stupid  in  the  world  than  a  young 
steer. 

They  had  picked  out  the  required  number  and 
were  returning  with  them,  when  a  strong  young 
three-year-old  bull  decided  to  make  one  of  the 
crowd.  Jack  galloped  after  him  and  tried  to 
cut  him  out,  but  he  would  not  be  denied,  and 
eventually  got  back  in  among  them  again. 

** Leave  him  alone,  Jack,*'  called  out  Jones; 


ON  THE  EANCH  97 

^Ve'll  cut  him  out  when  we  run  'em  into  the 
corral.'' 

When  they  finally  arrived  at  the  corral,  the 
bull  refused  to  leave  his  family.  Whether  it  was 
that  he  had  an  inkling  of  their  ultimate  fate 
and  considered  that  they  needed  his  protection, 
or  that  he  hated  returning  alone,  it  is  difficult 
to  say,  but  there  was  no  half-heartedness  about 
his  determination  to  get  into  the  corral  with 
them.  Both  Jack  and  Jones  repeatedly  cut  him 
out,  but  he  Just  as  often  returned. 

When  most  of  the  cattle  had  been  driven  into 
the  corral  Jack  called  out:  ^^You  run  the  rest 
of  them  in,  Joe,  while  I  chase  him  away;  I  guess 
he  won't  come  back  when  he  sees  that  they  are 
all  inside. ' ' 

He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  bull  and 
endeavored  to  drive  him  oif,  which  was  not  an 
easy  thing  to  do,  for  he  swerved  and  rushed 
back  at  the  first  opportunity.  Balked  in  his  at- 
tempts to  get  back  among  the  bunch  at  the 
entrance,  he  presently  espied  some  of  them 
inside  the  corral  through  the  fence,  and  with- 
out a  second's  hesitation  he  dashed  madly  into 
it.  There  is  no  doubt  that  he  must  have  seen 
stars,  and  they  must  have  been  all  bright  red 


98  MAKING  GOOD 

ones,  for  when  he  turned  toward  Jack  there  was 
the  light  of  madness  in  his  eyes.  Instead  of 
submitting  to  being  chased,  he  took  on  the  role 
of  chaser.  He  turned  around,  deliberately  sized 
up  Jack  and  his  pony,  lowered  his  head,  and 
went  at  them  at  a  furious  gallop.  Jack,  who 
had  been  unprepared  for  this,  was  almost  caught 
napping;  he  just  managed  to  avoid  him  by 
swinging  his  pony  round  on  his  haunches.  The 
bull  stopped,  turned,  and  came  back  at  him  in 
another  wild  charge,  and  so  quick  was  he  in  ex- 
ecuting this  return  move  that  Jack,  though  he 
saw  him  coming,  was  unable  to  get  the  pony 
out  of  his  way.  Head  down,  he  charged  and 
caught  the  pony  on  its  flanks,  one  of  his  horns 
tearing  open  the  flesh  and  the  other  penetra- 
ting Jack's  right  leg. 

Both  pony  and  rider  went  down  and  lay  ab- 
solutely at  the  mercy  of  the  now  thoroughly 
enraged  bull.  Fortunately  Jones  had  turned  just 
in  time  to  see  the  crash,  and  digging  his  heels 
into  his  own  pony's  sides,  he  galloped  over 
from  the  corral.  Before  the  bull  could  renew 
his  attack  upon  Jack,  Jones  was  alongside.  He 
threw  his  feet  out  of  the  stirrups,  and  at  the 
right  moment  dropped  from  the  saddle  on  to  the 
neck  of  the  bull,  seized  his  horns  in  both  hands, 


ON  THE  RANCH  99 

and  threw  him  over  on  to  his  back.  It  was  a 
very  skillful  piece  of  *^ bull-dogging/'  and  the 
bull,  when  he  scrambled  to  his  feet,  was  too 
dazed  and  stunned  to  resume  the  fight.  Jones 
helped  Jack  on  to  his  pony  and  took  him  over 
to  the  bunk  house. 

After  his  leg  was  bandaged  and  he  lay  in  his 
bunk,  Jack  called  Jones  over  to  him. 

**  Joe,"  he  said,  holding  out  his  hand,  ^* that's 
the  second  time  youVe  come  to  my  rescue.  Only 
such  a  cow-puncher  as  you  are,  and  as  I  hope 
to  be,  could  have  got  me  out  of  that  scrape.  ^ ' 

*^ Don't  you  be  a  fool,  Jack,''  replied  Jones. 
**YouVe  got  me  plumb  beat  for  cow-punching. 
You  only  need  to  learn  *bull-doggin'  ' — an'  I'll 
give  you  a  few  lessons  some  day — and  you'll 
have  me  beat  to  a  frazzle.'' 


CHAPTER  Vn 


THE  CATTLE  RUSTLEES 


IT  was  several  weeks  before  Jack  fully  recov- 
ered from  the  injury  inflicted  by  the  bull, 
and  during  the  time  of  his  convalescence  he 
spent  many  pleasant  hours  in  the  home  of  the 
rancher. 

Mr.  Mcintosh  had  taken  more  than  an  ordi- 
nary interest  in  Jack's  welfare,  and  had  been 
immensely  pleased  at  the  remarkable  progress 
he  had  made.  As  a  mark  of  his  appreciation 
he  had  presented  the  lad  with  a  new  sixty-five 
dollar  stock  saddle.  It  was  a  beautiful  saddle, 
and  in  giving  it  to  Jack  he  said :  ^*  Young,  I  want 
you  to  accept  this  as  a  present  from  me.  I've 
been  watching  you  since  you  came  to  the  Q.  Z., 
and  I  have  never  seen  a  boy  throw  his  heart 
and  soul  into  the  work  as  you  have  done.  You 
are  already  almost  equal  to  the  best  cow- 
puncher  I  have,  and  that  after  only  a  little  over 
six  months'  experience.  I  guess  you'll  make  a 
big  reputation  for  yourself,  and  when  the  Stam- 
pedes come  round  I  can  see  you  clearing  up 

100 


THE  CATTLE  EUSTLERS  .  >    m 

the  prizes  and  bringing  them  back  with  you  to 
theQ.  Z.  ranch.'' 

Jack's  delight  at  this  splendid  gift,  accom- 
panied by  such  kind  words  of  encouragement, 
can  readily  be  imagined,  and  it  was  not  in  the 
least  diminished  by  the  scowls  of  Chris,  who 
happened  to  be  present  and  overheard  these 
remarks.  The  relationship  between  the  two 
was  one  of  strict  neutrality,  neither  of  them 
making  any  approach  toward  the  establishment 
of  friendly  intercourse.  But  this  did  not  in  any 
way  interfere  with  the  pleasure  Jack  used  to 
feel  when  visiting  Mr.  Mcintosh's  home.  Mrs. 
Mcintosh  showed  a  motherly  solicitude  in 
Jack's  injury,  and  her  daughter  Joan  vied 
with  her  in  her  attentions.  As  Jones  said  to 
him  afterward,  **Jack,  boy,  you've  got  to  be 
careful,  for  they're  spoiling  you  at  the  ranch 
house.  You'll  soon  be  turning  your  back  on  the 
likes  of  us  boys  at  the  bunk  house." 

'* Don't  you  worry,  Joe,  old  boy,"  replied 
Jack;  '^there's  nothing  in  this  wide  world 
would  drag  me  away  from  you. ' ' 

But  they  were  glorious  times  for  Jack,  lying 
in  the  hammock  on  the  broad  veranda,  with 
Joan  reading  to  him,  and  interrupting  the  read- 
ing with  tales  of  the  Northwest — of  the  days 


;102  MAKING  GOOD 

when  the  red  man  held  unlimited  sway.  She 
gave  him  thrilling  accounts  of  fights  against 
great  odds  between  the  early  white  settlers  and 
the  Indians.  Many  of  the  tales  were  of  happen- 
ings that  had  actually  occurred  at  the  Hudson 
Bay  post  on  which  her  father  had  lived,  when 
the  settlers  were  compelled  to  seek  safety  be- 
hind the  barricades  in  the  days  of  the  Riel 
Rebellion. 

It  was  a  fascinating  story  of  how  the  great, 
fertile  plains  of  the  West  had  passed  into  pos- 
session of  the  British  Empire  through  the 
bravery  and  perseverance  of  that  hardy  race  of 
pioneers.  It  fired  Jack's  imagination,  and  often 
as  he  lay  with  eyes  closed  he  seemed  to  live 
through  those  stirring  times  of  the  past.  He 
could  scarcely  believe  that  those  inoffensive, 
silent  Indians  he  daily  ran  across  had  in  them 
the  same  blood  as  **the  noble  red  man,''  the 
unconquered  warrior  of  the  American  conti- 
nent. 

He  was  to  see,  though,  in  days  to  come  that 
the  fighting  instinct  was  still  strong,  that  the 
traditions  of  the  past  were  not  a  dead  letter  to 
them.  It  was  one  day  ^toward  the  end  of  Jack's 
convalescence  that  Mr.  Mcintosh  came  to  him 
with  a  worried  look  on  his  face. 


THE  CATTLE  EUSTLEES  103 

** Three  more  steers  gone  to-day,  Young,"  he 
said;  *Hhat  makes  twelve  in  two  weeks.  I've 
put  the  mounted  police  on,  but  they're  baf- 
fled. I  thought  the  days  of  cattle  rustling  had 
gone.  There  must  be  a  gang  working  this  coun- 
try, for  Wheeler  on  the  Three-Bar  ranch  has 
had  ten  stolen  in  less  than  a  week." 

** Cattle  rustling"  was,  as  Jack  knew,  the 
Westerner's  equivalent  for  cattle  thieving. 
Every  rancher  branded  his  stock  with  a  mark 
registered  at  a  certain  Government  office. 
Branding  was  rather  a  cruel  but  necessary 
thing.  A  red-hot  iron  was  pressed  into  the  hide 
of  the  horses  and  cattle,  imprinting  on  it  the 
brand  of  the  owner.  All  horses  and  cattle 
branded  with  a  Q.  Z.  belonged  to  the  Q.  Z. 
ranch,  and  similarly  with  other  ranches. 

Cattle  rustling  demanded  both  daring  and 
skill  on  the  part  of  those  who  practiced  it.  The 
thieves  usually  worked  in  gangs  and  in  a  sys- 
tematic way,  and  young  steers,  recently 
branded,  were  their  favorite  prey.  They  usu- 
ally picked  them  out  one  at  a  time,  caught  them 
and  threw  them,  made  up  a  fire  on  the  spot, 
branded  them  afresh,  and  drove  them  off.  They 
then  collected  the  stolen  cattle  into  a  bunch. 


104  MAKING  GOOD 

drove  them  across  the  prairie,  and  sold  them  at 
the  first  opportunity. 

In  the  lawless  days  of  the  early  pioneers  the 
fate  of  the  cattle  rustler,  as  with  the  horse  thief, 
was  a  swift  and  speedy  one;  he  was  taken  to 
the  nearest  tree  and  left  there  to  dangle.  Even 
in  the  days  of  law  and  order  the  punishment 
is  deservedly  severe. 

The  day  following  Mr.  Mcintosh's  announce- 
ment. Jack  discussed  the  matter  with  Joan. 

'*l  would  love  nothing  better  than  to  catch 
them  red-handed  before  the  *mounties'  got 
them !  Can 't  you  think  of  some  way  of  doing  it, 
Joan?''  he  asked. 

**Well,"  replied  Joan,  **I  think  the  best  thing 
to  do  would  be  to  pick  out  some  place  where 
they  are  likely  to  work,  and  keep  watch  there. 
They'll  never  do  their  work  on  the  open 
prairie. ' ' 

** That's  a  good  idea,  Joan;  if  we  could  only 
once  spot  them  it  would  be  easy." 

'*What  about  you  and  I  going  over  toward 
the  river?  I  should  think  the  coolies^  the  very 
place  where  they  are  likely  to  work." 

**I'm  on,  Joan,"  replied  Jack  enthusiastic- 
ally; ** that's  a  great  idea  of  yours,  and  we'll 

1  steep,  grass-grown  gullies  leading  to  a  river. 


THE  CATTLE  EUSTLERS  105 

follow  it  up.  We  '11  keep  quiet  about  it,  but  each 
day  we'll  walk  over  toward  the  coolies.  It 
would  be  foolish  to  ride,  for  they  would  spot 
our  horses  and  get  wise;  but  we'll  take  our 
lariat  ropes  with  us.  I'm  fairly  good  at  throw- 
ing now,  and  you  are  heaps  better  than  I  am. 
If,  as  you  say,  they  usually  work  in  pairs,  we 
may  catch  them  both." 

Jack  was  full  of  enthusiasm  and  certain  of 
success  the  first  day  he  hobbled  over,  with 
Joan's  aid,  to  the  coolies.  But  many  days  were 
to  come  and  go  before  his  hopes  were  to  be 
realized.  The  lookout  they  kept  was  not  tedi- 
ous, for  they  were  glorious  autumn  days,  but 
each  day  as  they  went  back  to  the  ranch  Jack's 
hopes  had  sunk  a  little  lower. 

The  cattle  rustlers  were  growing  bolder,  and 
in  spite  of  the  sharp  lookout  kept  for  them  they 
succeeded  in  evading  detection,  and  continued 
to  carry  on  their  thieving  with  increasing  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Mcintosh  had  now  lost  over  thirty 
head  of  young  cattle,  and  the  losses  of  other 
ranches  in  the  district  had  been  correspond- 
ingly high;  so  Mr.  Mcintosh  called  a  confer^ 
ence  at  his  house,  to  which  all  the  ranchers 
affected  were  invited. 

The  result  of  the  discussion  was  the  offer  of 


106  MAKING  GOOD 

a  reward  of  five  hundred  dollars  to  any  one  de- 
livering up  to  the  ranchers  named  the  bodies, 
dead  or  alive,  of  any  one  or  more  of  the  gang 
of  cattle  rustlers.  This  move  smacked  of  the 
bad  old  days,  and  gave  the  cow-punchers  license 
to  use  their  shooting  irons. 

**Yes,  sirree,^^  Slim  was  overheard  saying, 
*4f  any  of  them  cattle-rustlin'  guys  comes 
within  range  of  my  oV  six-shooter  there'll  be  a 
wide  streak  of  daylight  showin '  through  them  in 
rather  less  than  no  time.'* 

The  promise  of  a  reward  gave  an  added  zest 
to  Jack's  naturally  keen  desire  to  lay  the  cattle 
rustlers  by  the  heels. 

**We  must  buck  up,  Joan,''  he  said,  **for  my 
leg  will  be  as  fit  as  ever  in  a  day  or  two  and  then 
I'll  be  back  on  the  range,  and  this  little  game 
of  ours  will  be  off.  Besides,  all  the  boys  are 
dead  keen  to  get  hold  of  them  now,  and  if  the 
rustlers  get  wise  to  this  reward  they'll  soon 
beat  it  in  a  hurry." 

**0h,  don't  you  worry,  Jack,"  replied  Joan, 
pausing  to  pull  tighter  a  wide  leather  belt  to 
which  was  attached  an  automatic,  **I  have  an 
idea  that  we'll  soon  be  walking  up  to  dad  and 
claiming  that  five  hundred  dollars." 

For  a  few  days  following  the  publication  of 


THE  CATTLE  RI?STLEES  107 

the  reward  it  really  looked  as  if  the  rustlers 
had  gone  or  else  had  temporarily  suspended 
operations.  The  latter  proved  to  be  the  case 
for,  after  lying  low  for  a  couple  of  days,  re- 
ports of  more  thieving  came  in. 

There  was  probably  no  one  keener  to  catch 
the  thieves  than  Chris,  for,  since  his  fight  with 
Jack,  his  reputation  had  been  more  or  less  in  a 
state  of  eclipse.  He  rode  the  range  from  day- 
light to  dark,  indefatigable  in  his  efforts  to 
catch  the  thieves. 

It  was  on  the  fourth  day  after  the  offer  of 
the  reward,  and  the  last  day  of  Jack's  conva- 
lescence, that  Joan  and  he  lay  looking  down 
into  one  of  the  few  coolies  in  which  they  had 
not  previously  kept  watch.  It  was  already  dusk 
and  would  soon  be  dark. 

**Come  on,  Joan,''  Jack  was  saying,  **I'm 
afraid  we're  fairly  out  of  luck;  this  was  our 
last  chance,  and  it  seems  to  have  gone  west 
along  with  the  others." 

He  was  about  to  scramble  to  his  feet  when 
he  suddenly  exclaimed: 

** Hello!  D'you  see  that,  Joan — over  in  the 
next  coolie?" 

A  thin  curl  of  smoke,  barely  distinguishable, 
had  caught  his  attention. 


108  MAKING  GOOD 

*  *  Come  on, ' '  he  urged,  trailing  his  lariat  rope 
behind  him,  **I  believe  we^re  on  the  trail  at 
last." 

Joan  needed  no  urging,  for  she  was  every  bit 
as  keen  as  Jack.  They  hurried  quietly  and 
stealthily  toward  the  coolie  from  which  the 
smoke  was  coming.  As  they  approached  the 
edge  they  got  down  on  their  hands  and  knees 
and  then  peered  cautiously  down  into  the  coolie. 
What  Jack  saw  there  made  his  heart  bound  with 
excitement,  for  nearly  a  hundred  feet  below 
them  there  were  two  men,  half-breed  Indians, 
busily  engaged  in  rebranding  eight  or  ten 
young  cattle. 

^  *  The  cattle  rustlers  for  certain  I ' '  whispered 
Jack.  They  had  built  up  a  little  fire  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  coolie  with  bits  of  dry  wood  that  had 
been  thrown  up  earlier  in  the  year  when  the 
river  was  in  flood. 

As  Jack  and  Joan  lay  watching  them  they 
threw  a  rope  around  a  young  steer,  gave  it  a 
twist,  and  threw  the  steer  over  on  to  his  back. 
They  quickly  tied  his  legs,  dragged  him  over 
toward  the  fire,  stuck  the  red-hot  branding  iron 
on  him,  rubbed  a  little  grease  over  the  hide 
where  it  had  been  seared,  and  then  turned 
him  looee.    Considering  themselves  apparently 


THE  CATTLE  EUSTLEES  109 

secure,  and  emboldened  by  their  success,  they 
failed  to  take  even  the  most  elementary  precau- 
tions, not  even  bothering  to  look  up  and  around 
them.  Had  they  done  so  they  could  not  have 
failed  to  have  seen  the  boy  and  girl  stealing 
carefully  down  toward  them  until  they  had  the 
men  well  within  range  of  their  lariat  ropes. 

**A  little  luck,^'  whispered  Jack,  *^and  we'll 
have  them  clinched.  You  throw  first,  at  the  one 
farthest  away;  I'll  have  my  automatic  handy  in 
case  there's  any  shooting  to  do.  As  soon  as 
you've  roped  your  man,  I'll  have  a  go  at  mine." 

It  was  just  at  that  moment  that  the  man  near- 
est to  them  looked  up  carelessly,  and,  in  the 
gathering  darkness,  distinguished  two  forms 
about  sixty  feet  above  him,  maintaining  a  pre- 
carious foothold  on  the  side  of  the  coolie  and 
poised  ready  for  a  throw. 

Quick  as  he  was  to  see  and  to  draw.  Jack  was 
even  quicker,  and  as  the  half-breed  whipped  out 
his  revolver.  Jack  fired  and  smashed  the 
weapon  out  of  his  hand. 

Joan,  with  admirable  coolness  and  with  her 
aim  undisturbed  by  the  shooting,  sent  her  lasso 
-hissing  toward  the  other  half-breed.  "With 
deadly  accuracy  it  hung  for  a  brief  second 
poised  over  his  head,  then  dropped  over  his 


110  MAKING  GOOD 

shoulders.  With  lightning-like  swiftness  the 
girl  tightened  the  rope  and  threw  the  half-breed 
before  he  had  realized  all  that  was  happening. 

She  then  ran  lightly  down  the  side  of  the 
coolie,  and  before  the  half-breed  had  gathered 
his  scattered  wits,  he  was  looking  into  the  bar- 
rel of  an  automatic.  Joan  slackened  the  rope 
which  had  pinioned  the  man  ^s  arms  to  his  sides, 
and  then  curtly  ordered  him  to  hand  over  his 
weapon. 

In  the  meantime  Jack  was  having  an  exciting 
time,  for  the  other  half-breed,  having  had  the 
revolver  smashed  out  of  his  hand  by  the  shot 
from  the  lad's  automatic,  had  immediately 
turned  and  fled  toward  two  ponies,  which  were 
grazing  some  distance  away.  Jack  immediately 
rushed  after  him.  The  half-breed  made  a  fly- 
ing leap  into  the  saddle  of  one  pony  and  tore  off 
at  a  mad  gallop.  Jack  made  for  the  other, 
sprang  on  its  back,  with  the  lariat  rope  dang- 
ling in  one  hand,  and  followed  in  swift 
pursuit. 

It  was  a  thrilling  chase,  with  Jack  gaining 
on  the  half-breed  all  the  time.  He  refrained 
from  shooting,  as  he  wished  to  take  his  prisoner 
alive.  He  had  been  lucky  enough  to  get  the 
speediest  pony,  or  he  would  have  been  com- 


THE  CATTLE  BUSTLERS  111 

pelled  to  jBre,  and  with  his  constant  practice  at 
shooting  at  coyotes  from  the  saddle,  he  would 
no  doubt  have  brought  down  his  man.  As  it 
was,  he  rapidly  closed  in  on  the  half-breed, 
swung  the  lasso  round  his  head  a  few  times, 
and  then  threw  it  forward,  catching  the  half- 
breed  round  the  body  and  dragging  him  to  the 
ground.  Jack  slipped  the  rope  round  the  horn 
of  the  saddle  and  drew  it  taut.  He  then  jumped 
to  the  ground  and  dashed  over  toward  the  man, 
who  was  now  vainly  struggling  to  disentangle 
himself;  but  the  more  he  tugged  at  the  rope 
the  tighter  it  became.  Jack  covered  him  with 
his  automatic,  helped  him  to  his  feet,  and  then 
walked  him  back  toward  the  pony. 

**A  pretty  good  try  to  get  away,  old  sport," 
he  remarked  jocularly. 

**You  smart  boy,  eh,  heap  good  shot,'' 
grunted  the  half-breed. 

**Well,  I  guess  I  was  a  little  too  smart  for 
you,  and  a  girl  has  got  your  pal  buffaloed. ' ' 

Just  then  a  shot  rang  out,  and  Jack's  heart 
gave  a  great  bound. 

**Come  on,  you,"  he  said,  turning  fiercely 
to  the  half-breed,  **I'm  going  to  truss  you  up 
and  leave  you  here." 

With  the  slack  rope  he  deftly  and  securely 


112  MAKING  GOOD 

pinioned  the  half-breed  until  he  could  scarcely 
move  as  much  as  an  eyelash.  He  left  him  lying 
on  the  ground,  sprang  into  the  saddle  at  one 
bound,  and  dashed  back  to  the  place  where  he 
had  left  Joan. 

It  was  now  almost  dark,  and  as  he  approached 
the  place  he  heard  a  moan  of  pain. 

*  *  Joan !  Joan ! ' '  he  called  out  wildly,  a  great 
fear  clutching  at  his  heart. 

** Hello!  That  you,  Jack?''  came  back  the 
cheery  response.  *^Did  you  get  the  other 
rustler  r' 

**Yes,"  replied  Jack,  his  voice  expressing  the 
relief  he  felt,  **got  him  trussed  up  as  nicely  as 
a  prize  Christmas  turkey;  but  what's  happened 
here?" 

**0h,  you  heard  the  shot  I  fired,  I  suppose?" 
asked  eToan  calmly.  *^Tliis  man  started  playing 
up ;  suppose  he  thought  a  girl  would  never  dare 
pull  the  trigger.  I  warned  him  once,  the  second 
time  I  let  him  have  one  in  the  foot,  and  it  seems 
to  have  hurt." 

**Joan,"  said  Jack  admiringly,  '*you're  a 
regular  brick.  Serves  the  brute  right  if  you 
have  hurt  him;  he  ought  to  have  behaved  him- 
self when  he  was  being  decently  treated. 
Eather  funny,  though;  I  got  mine  in  the  hand 


THE  CATTLE  RUSTLESS  113 

and  you  got  yours  in  the  foot  I  Now  that  I 
know  you  are  all  right,  I'll  slip  back  on  the  pony 
for  my  prisoner,  and  we'll  be  getting  back  to 
the  ranch  with  them.'' 

He  returned  to  the  spot  where  he  had  left 
the  other  half-breed  bound,  untied  his  legs, 
helped  him  to  his  feet,  and  gave  him  the  order 
to  go  ahead  while  he  himself  followed  behind 
on  the  pony. 

^*Here  we  are,  Joan,"  he  called  out  cheerily. 
** Guess  we're  going  to  have  some  fun  getting 
out  of  here,  though,  for  I'm  lost.  We  can't 
climb  up  the  sides  of  the  coolie. ' ' 

'^That's  easy,"  replied  Joan;  '*you  don't 
suppose  I've  lived  here  all  my  life  without 
knowing  my  way  about.  I'll  act  as  guide  if 
you'll  look  after  the  prisoners." 

They  then  helped  Joan's  prisoner  into  the 
saddle.  With  true  Indian  stoicism  the  two  men 
accepted  their  fate  more  or  less  silently.  Jack 
finally  freed  his  prisoner  and  gave  him  the 
bridle  lines. 

*^Now,  no  monkey  tricks,"  he  said,  **or  else 
I'll  plug  you  clean  through  the  head;  d'you 
understand?" 

The  half-breed  nodded  his  head,  signifying 
that  he  understood. 


114  MAKING  GOOD 

**Lead  on,''  called  out  Jack;  and,  guided  by 
Joan,  with  Jack  bringing  up  the  rear  and  cov- 
ering the  prisoners  with  his  revolver,  the  little 
procession  moved  forward  in  the  darkness. 
Joan  soon  led  them  to  a  path  that  brought  them 
out  of  the  coolies  on  to  the  prairie.  The  lights 
of  the  ranch  twinkled  in  the  distance,  a  good 
two  miles  away.  As  they  approached  the  build- 
ings, they  saw  some  of  the  boys  moving  around 
attending  to  the  stock  kept  on  the  ranch. 

Jack  thought  he  would  attract  their  atten- 
tion, so,  pointing  his  automatic  into  the  air,  he 
almost  emptied  the  magazine.  The  bunk  house 
quickly  emptied  as  the  boys  came  tumbling  out. 
Jack  recognized  the  tall  form  of  Jones  hurrying 
toward  them. 

** Hello,  Joe,"  he  called  out,  *' we've  got  two 
nice-looking  cattle  rustlers  here  all  ready  for 
killing." 

*^Well,  sirree,"  ejaculated  Jones,  '*if  that  kid 
hasn't  got  us  all  beat  to  a  frazzle."  They  were 
soon  surrounded  by  the  Q.  Z.  boys. 

*^And  Miss  Joan,  too!"  said  Jones,  as  he 
walked  up. 

*  *  Yes,  Joe,  and  had  it  not  been  for  Miss  Joan, 
these  chaps  would  still  have  been  running 
around  loose." 


THE  CATTLE  RUSTLEES  115 

''This  way  with  them,  Jack/'  called  out  Bill 
the  foreman,  and  the  little  procession,  now  surr 
rounded  by  a  curious,  congratulatory  escort, 
follow;cd  Bill  over  to  the  bunk  house;  though 
when  they  arrived  there  Joan  was  missing,  for 
she  had  taken  the  opportunity  to  slip  off  to  the 
ranch  house. 

The  half-breeds,  surly,  defiant,  and  silent  in 
spite  of  their  pain,  were  taken  into  the  bunk 
House.  They  neither  denied  nor  admitted  any 
of  the  charges  made  against  them.  Mr.  Mcin- 
tosh, who  had  received  a  brief  account  from 
Joan  of  her  adventure,  hurried  over  to  view 
and  question  the  prisoners.  He  made  an  excla- 
mation as  soon  as  he  saw  them. 

*^Why,  that's  Pete  the  half-breed!''  he  said, 
pointing  to  the  man  with  the  shattered  foot, 
the  elder,  by  many  years,  of  the  two  prisoners. 
**I  never  thought  you'd  have  the  nerve  to  come 
fback  into  this  country  after  the  narrow  escape 
you  had  from  being  dangled  over  twenty-five 
years  ago." 

The  man  he  pointed  to  was  a  notorious 
Indian  half-breed,  a  regular  ^^bad  man"  type, 
(with  a  romantic  career.  His  white  father  had 
sent  him  East  in  his  boyhood  days  to  a  well- 
Iknown   university,    but   drink,    which    quickly 


ill6  MAKING  GOOD 

inflamed  the  Indian  blood  in  him,  had  been  his 
downfall.  He  returned  in  disgrace,  but  not 
before  he  had  imbibed  some  of  the  culture  of 
civilization.  The  savage  in  him,  however,  quickly 
came  to  the  surface,  and  he  became  one  of  the 
most  lawless  and  reckless  desperadoes  the  West 
had  ever  known.  He  gathered  about  him  a 
gang,  mostly  Indians  and  half-breeds,  which  be- 
gan a  reign  of  terror,  until  the  ranchers  finally 
banded  themselves  together  and  hunted  them 
down.  Pete  was  caught  red-handed  at  the  very 
game  he  had  lately  been  engaged  upon — cattle 
rustling.  ,He  was  hurried  over  to  the  nearest 
tree,  and  would  have  met  with  a  speedy  death 
but  for  the  intervention  of  Mr.  Mcintosh,  who 
had  known  his  father,  a  highly  respected  factor 
at  one  of  the  Hudson  Bay  posts.  His  horse  was 
given  back  to  him,  and  he  was  taken  over  the 
border  into  the  States  and  warned,  on  peril  of 
being  instantly  shot  on  sight,  never  to  return 
into  Alberta  again.  From  that  day  no  one  had 
seen  or  heard  of  Pete. 

**Come,  Pete,''  said  Mr.  Mcintosh  sternly, 
** where  are  the  other  thieves  you've  had  work- 
ing with  youT' 

**You  can  find  them  for  yourself,''  retorted 
Pete  angrily. 


THE  CATTLE  BUSTLERS  117 

**Very  well;  bring  a  rope,  boys;  we  can't 
afford  to  waste  time  on  him.'' 

There  was  an  unrelenting  look  in  Mr.  Mcin- 
tosh's eye  as  the  rope  was  slipped  over  Pete's 
neck  that  alarmed  the  half-breed.  He  decided 
that  things  had  gone  far  enough,  and  gave  the 
required  information. 

** There  are  four  more  in  the  gang,"  he  said, 
*^all  of  them  boys  that  can  use  their  shooting 
irons  to  good  purpose.  You  might  find  them 
near  the  shack  at  the  bend  of  Gopher  Creek — 
that  is,  provided  you  hurry,  for  we  intended 
pulling  out  of  this  country  to-night." 

*  *  Good  enough ! ' '  said  Mr.  Mcintosh.  ^  *  Leave 
two  men  here,  Bill,"  he  called  to  the  foreman. 
*  *  The  rest  of  you  boys  saddle  up ;  we  '11  rope  in 
the  whole  crowd  yet." 

There  was  a  wild  scramble  for  the  ponies, 
and  a  few  minutes  later  over  thirty  odd  riders, 
Jack  among  them,  were  thundering  across  the 
prairies  with  Mr.  Mcintosh  at  their  head. 


CHAPTER  Vm 


THE  EOUND-UP 


THE  shack  they  were  heading  for  was 
nearly  four  miles  away,  and  was  an  ideal 
place  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  had  been 
chosen,  for  it  could  only  be  approached  from 
one  direction.  As  was  afterward  discovered,  one 
man  had  been  posted  there  as  sentry  both  day 
and  night.  Across  the  creek  and  between  it  and 
the  river  there  was  a  piece  of  grassland  where 
the  cattle  rustlers  had  driven  the  stolen  cattle. 
The  sentry,  expecting  the  return  of  Pete  and  his 
companion,  was  keeping  a  keen  lookout.  The 
noise  of  the  approaching  riders  was  the  first 
warning  that  something  was  wrong.  He  gave  the 
alarm,  and  was  soon  joined  by  the  other  three. 
The  thunder  of  the  hoofs  of  the  approaching 
horses  quickly  became  more  distinct,  and  soon 
both  horses  and  riders  came  into  view.  The 
watchers  ran  back  to  the  bottom  of  the  defile, 
down  which  the  horsemen  must  come  to  reach 
the  shack.  As  the  leading  riders  appeared  they 

118 


THE  EOUND-UP  119 

emptied  their  revolvers.  Mr.  Mcintosh  was  seen 
to  lurch  in  the  saddle,  and  would  assuredly 
have  fallen  and  have  been  trampled  underfoot, 
had  not  Jones,  who,  with  Jack,  was  riding 
alongside  him,  caught  and  held  him.  There  was 
no  pause ;  on  thundered  the  riders  down  through 
the  defile.  Eealizing  how  impossible  it  would 
be  for  them  to  put  up  an  effective  resistance, 
the  cattle  rustlers  ran  back  to  the  shack  and 
opened  fire  as  the  riders  came  down  upon 
them. 

Jones  lifted  Mr.  Mcintosh  bodily  from  his 
horse  and  laid  him  across  the  saddle  in  front 
of  him.  At  the  first  chance  he  wheeled  away 
from  the  shack  in  order  to  render  first  aid. 

Instead  of  charging  at  the  shack,  the  riders, 
with  Bill,  the  foreman,  and  Jack  at  their  head, 
broke  into  single  file  and  galloped  round  it,  dis- 
charging their  revolvers  into  it.  The  firing  from 
the  shack  soon  ceased,  and  one  man  came  run- 
ning out  with  his  hands  above  his  head.  Bill, 
with  Jack  at  his  side,  rode  up  to  the  building, 
dismounted,  and  went  inside.  As  they  entered 
they  stumbled  over  the  form  of  one  man,  killed, 
while  the  two  others  lay  groaning  where  they 
had  fallen,  close  to  the  window.  They  lit  the 
lantern  hanging  in  the  center  of  the  shack,  the 


120  MAKING  GOOD 

walls  of  which  were  riddled  with  bullets.  The 
only  man  to  escape  had  saved  himself  by  lying 
on  the  floor.  One  of  the  two  wounded  men 
lived  only  a  few  minutes,  the  other  was  given 
first  aid  and  made  comfortable  until  a  rig  could 
be  brought  from  the  ranch  to  convey  him  there 
for  further  treatment.  Mr.  Mcintosh  had  had 
a  very  narrow  escape,  the  bullet  grazing  the 
side  of  his  head.  He  had  been  temporarily 
stunned,  but  quickly  recovered,  and  insisted  on 
riding  back  to  the  ranch  with  the  boys.  A  rider 
was  dispatched  into  town  for  a  doctor,  and  after 
he  had  attended  to  the  rancher,  Jack  was  sent 
for. 

**Well,  Young,'*  exclaimed  Mr.  Mcintosh, 
reaching  out  his  hand  as  Jack  walked  in,  **we 
have  to  thank  you  and  Joan  for  rounding  up 
the  cattle  rustlers.  I  suppose  you  didn't  think 
when  you  two  went  down  into  the  coolie  after 
them  that  you  were  tackling  one  of  the  most 
desperate  and  murderous  villains  on  the  Amer- 
ican continent.  It's  lucky  for  you  that  you  got 
there  first." 

**I  didn't  tackle  him,  Mr.  Mcintosh,"  inter- 
rupted Jack;  **  Joan  handled  him,  roped  him  as 
neat  as  you'd  like  it,  and  then  shot  him  in  the 
foot  when  he  started  his  monkey  tricks." 


THE  ROUND-UP  121 

The  rancher's  face  lit  up  with  pride.  **Come 
here,  Joan, ' '  he  called  out,  and  as  she  came  near 
he  caught  her  hand  and  drew  her  to  him. 
^^ Girlie,  your  old  dad's  mighty  proud  of  you, 
but  I  tremble  to  think  what  might  have  hap- 
pened to  you.  If  anything  had,  that  young  ras- 
cal there'' — indicating  Jack — ** would  have  had 
to  pay  for  it." 

^^Oh,  but  you  mustn't  blame  Jack,  dad;  I 
urged  him  on  to  do  it,  in  fact  we  were  co-con- 
spirators. We  've  been  on  the  lookout  for  weeks, 
and  this  was  to  have  been  our  last  day,  as  Jack 
was  returning  to  work  to-morrow;  and  you 
should  just  have  seen  the  way  Jack  shot  the 
six-shooter  out  of  the  hand  of  the  other  brute, ' ' 
continued  Joan  enthusiastically. 

**Come  on,  Young,  let  us  hear  the  story," 
said  the  rancher. 

But  here  the  doctor  intervened.  **Not  to- 
night, Mcintosh,"  he  said,  *^you  must  not  have 
any  more  excitement;  keep  quiet  for  a  day  or 
two.  There's  no  danger  now,  but  we  must  be 
careful." 

**0h,  well,  just  as  you  say,  doc;  but  I'll  have 
to  write  out  a  check  for  five  hundred  dollars  to- 
morrow for  these  two  young  scamps.  You'd 
better  take  another  day  off,  Young,"  he  con- 


122  MAKING  GOOD 

tinued,  as  Jack  prepared  to  leave;  *'I  reckon 
you've  had  a  busy  day  to-day.'' 

When  Jack  returned  to  the  bunk  house  he  was 
the  center  of  an  eager  group  of  questioners. 

**Well,  sirree,"  remarked  Slim,  **if  I  don't 
feel  like  a  two-year-ol '  baby !  Five  hundred  dol- 
lars for  the  arskin'^^an'  before  I  can  reach  out 
me  hand  to  take  it,  I'll  be  shot  if  a  young  ten- 
derfoot don't  beat  me  to  it!  Now,  ain't  that 
enough  to  make  a  feller  want  to  eat  grass  for 
the  rest  of  his  life  ? ' ' 

Jones  turned  on  him  fiercely.  **Meanin', 
Slim,  that  the  kid  hasn't  earned  the  money?" 

**Meanin'  nothin'  of  the  sort,  you  ol'  sea- 
goin'  cow-puncher,  but  meanin'  that  the  kid  has 
made  me  feel  that  I  ain't  growed  up  yet  to  be 
a  proper  man." 

Jones  was  mollified  by  this  answer,  and  took 
Jack  away  into  a  corner  where  he  could  get  all 
the  details  of  his  adventure  from  him. 

**Well,  Jack,"  he  said  when  the  latter  had 
finished  his  story,  **I  aint'  a  bit  sure  whether 
or  not  I  don't  feel  the  same  as  Slim  does.  You 
are  one  of  the  smartest  kids  I  ever  saw,  and  I 
ain't  sorry  now  that  I  helped  you  to  get  away 
from  the  Jersey.  I  saw  you  were  made  of  the 
real  genuine  stuff,  an'  up  to  the  present  you've 


THE  EOUND-UP  123 

neither  snrprised  nor  disappointed  me.  Keep  it 
up,  Jack,  boy,  an'  some  day  you'll  make  good 
all  right.  I  ain't  been  in  th'  picture  at  all  since 
we  came  here,"  he  concluded,  smiling  good- 
naturedly  at  Jack. 

* '  Oh,  yes,  you  have,  Joe ;  what  about  to-night 
when  Mr.  Mcintosh  was  hit? — ^but  for  you  he'd 
have  fallen  off  the  saddle  and  been  trampled 
underfoot.  Then  what  about  the  time  that  bull 
had  me  at  his  mercy?  Oh,  no,  Joe,  you  can't  say 
you  haven't  been  in  the  picture,"  concluded 
Jack. 

**Mere  details,  Jack,  mere  details,"  replied 
Jones,  blushing  and  embarrassed  at  hearing 
these  things  recounted. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Mcintosh,  now  very  much 
better,  sent  for  Jack  and  insisted  on  a  detailed 
account  of  the  events  leading  up  to  the  capture 
of  the  cattle  rustlers.  When  Jack  had  finished 
he  said,  **Well,  Young,  you've  certainly  earned 
that  five  hundred  dollars,  for  Joan  won't  hear 
of  any  of  it  going  to  her." 

^'Oh,  but  it  must,  Mr.  Mcintosh,"  interrupted 
Jack ;  *  *  she  must  take  at  least  half  of  it. ' ' 

*^Now,  don't  you  worry  about  her  share  of  it, 
my  boy,"  continued  Mr.  Mcintosh,  **you  can 
leave  all  of  that  to  me.  I  could  only  wish  that 


124  MAKING  GOOD 

you  were  as  well  provided  for,  and  I  agree  with 
her  that  the  five  hundred  dollars  should  be  paid 
to  you.  You've  got  your  future  ahqad  of  you, 
and  some  day  I  hope  to  see  you  the  owner  of 
your  own  ranch.  Now  here's  the  check  already 
made  out,  and  with  it  my  wishes  for  the  best  of 
luck." 

Jack  was  a  proud,  happy  boy  when  he  left 
the  ranch  house  with  the  check  in  his  pocket, 
and  the  future  was  full  of  bright  promise.  His 
heart  was  set  upon  becoming  a  rancher,  and 
this  was  the  first  step  toward  it.  Then  he  be- 
thought him  of  Jones.  Good  old  Joe  I  He  would 
share  the  check  with  him;  he  owed  so  much  to 
him,  and  it  would  be  one  way  of  repaying  it. 
He  sought  out  Jones  and  put  before  him  the 
proposal  that  he  should  take  half  of  the  five 
hundred  dollars.  Jones  did  not  reply  for  a  few 
seconds;  when  he  did  Jack  regretted  that  he 
had  mentioned  the  matter. 

**Jack,  if  you  only  measured  up  to  some- 
where around  my  size  I'd  try  to  thrash  th'  life 
out  of  you.  I  don't  doubt  but  what  you  mean 
well,  but  you  forget  all  'bout  this  profit-shar- 
ing scheme  once  an'  for  all  or  else  I'll  forget 
that  you  an'  me  are  pals. "  So  Jack  had  to  give 
up  all  idea  of  including  Jones  in  ^lis  good 


THE  ROUND-UP  125 

fortune,  and  his  credit  balance  at  the  bank  went 
up  by  five  hundred  dollars. 

Pete,  the  half-breed,  together  with  his  two 
co-thieves,  were  tried  at  the  assizes.  The  sen- 
tences were  justly  severe,  Pete  being  sent  to 
prison  for  fifteen  years  and  the  other  two  for 
ten  years  each.  All  of  the  missing  cattle  were 
recovered  with  the  exception  of  two  which  had 
been  killed  by  the  rustlers  for  their  own  con- 
sumption. In  addition  to  the  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, Jack  received  three  further  checks  for 
fifty  dollars  each  from  ranchers  who  had  had 
their  missing  cattle  returned  to  them. 

Upon  receipt  of  these,  Jack  immediately 
sought  out  Jones. 

**Here,  Joe,"  he  called  out,  **tell  me  what 
I'm  to  do  with  these  things.'' 

Jones  looked  at  them.  **Now,  look  here. 
Jack,  you  an'  me  are  goin'  to  fall  out  for  sure 
if  you  bring  any  more  of  them  there  financial 
problems  to  me  to  solve.  You  ought  to  know 
what  to  do  with  them;  just  tuck  them  away 
along  with  that  other  check  you  had. ' ' 

**Not  me,  Joe,"  replied  Jack.  **I  wasn't  the 
only  one  that  had  a  hand  in  catching  the  cattle 
rustlers;  what  about  you  and  the  boys  that 
went  over  to  Gopher  Greek!" 


126  MAKING  GOOD 

'*Well,  an'  what  about  us?" 

*'0h,  nothing  much,  excepting  that  I  want 
you  all  to  think  of  some  way  of  spending  this 
money,  for  even  if  we  have  to  fall  out  over  it, 
Joe,  that's  where  the  money  is  going." 

So  it  was  decided  that  the  boys  should  go  into 
town  one  night,  when  the  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  would  be  spent  on  their  entertainment. 

**Look  here,  Jack,"  said  Jones  as  they  were 
saddling  up  on  the  night  arranged,  **you  won't 
find  this  party  in  any  way  resemblin'  a  Sunday- 
school  picnic.  There's  no  holding  these  boys 
when  they  let  themselves  loose,  an'  I  wouldn't 
be  prepared  to  undertake  that  it  won't  finish  up 
in  a  funeral  party  with  any  one  of  us  actin'  the 
part  of  the  guest  of  honor.  You  stay  near  me, 
Jack,  and  we'll  try  to  keep  the  party  in  order." 

The  ride  into  town  resembled  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  a  wild,  sustained  cavalry  charge, 
which  culminated  in  a  simultaneous  discharge 
of  revolvers  and  automatics  as  soon  as  the  town 
was  reached. 

**Come  on,  boys,"  shouted  Slim  above  the 
noise  and  hubbub,  ** let's  paint  the  ol'  town 
red." 

** Steady  on  there,  Slim,"  shouted  Jones, 
**this  is  going  to  be  a  respectable  party." 


THE  EOUND-UP  127 

** Meaning/'  shouted  back  Slim,  *Hliat  it's 
goin'  to  be  a  hynin-singin'  musical  eveninT' 

*^No,  but  meanin'  that  unless  you  behave 
yourself  you'll  be  tied  to  your  horse  with  free 
permission  to  return  to  the  ranch  in  his  own 
time." 

With  Slim  somewhat  subdued,  the  rest  of  the 
boys  proceeded  on  more  orderly  lines.  In  ex- 
tending invitations  to  the  boys  for  the  party, 
Jack  had  included  Chris,  but  had  met  with  an 
abrupt  and  surly  refusal.  He  had  taken  no 
pains  to  conceal  his  disappointment  at  not  hav- 
ing had  a  hand  in  catching  the  cattle  rustlers, 
and  it  was  a  bitter  pill  for  him  to  swallow 
that  Jack  had  succeeded  in  doing  it. 

When  the  boys  adjourned  to  the  refreshment 
bar  of  the  only  hotel  in  the  town,  imagine  Jack's 
surprise  in  finding  Chris  already  there !  It  was 
common  knowledge  among  the  boys  that  Chris 
spent  more  of  his  time  and  money  there  than 
was  good  for  a  boy  of  his  age,  and  he  was 
already  inflamed  with  liquor  when  the  party 
went  in. 

Things  went  along  merrily  for  some  time. 
To  add  to  the  entertainment  a  shooting  compe- 
tition was  started,  playing  cards  being  stuck  up 
at  one  end  of  the  room  as  targets,  the  one  who 


128  MAKING  GOOD 

drew  and  fired  quickest  and  getting  most  hits 
on  the  card  being  declared  the  winner.  Jack's 
skill  at  this  form  of  amusement  was  consider- 
able, and  Jones  was  not  a  whit  behind  him,  so 
the  result  of  the  shooting  was  a  tie  between 
them.  It  was  decided  to  shoot  off  the  tie,  each 
one  being  timed  and  shooting  separately.  Bill, 
the  foreman,  was  acting  as  timekeeper,  and 
Jack  was  to  shoot  first. 

**Get  ready!''  called  out  Bill.  Jack's  hand 
rested  on  his  automatic  ready  to  draw.  *^Time !" 
called  out  Bill.  A  shot  rang  out,  but  not  from 
Jack's  automatic,  and  the  room  was  plunged 
in  darkness.  A  pandemonium  broke  loose,  but 
only  for  a  few  seconds,  for  the  proprietor, 
always  prepared  for  such  contingencies,  rushed 
in  with  candles. 

*^Who  fired  that  shot?"  called  out  Bill 
angrily. 

**I  did,"  said  Jones. 

**YouI"  replied  Bill;  then,  sarcastically, 
**  'fraid  the  kid  was  goin'  to  beat  you?" 

''Perhaps,"  returned  Jones  curtly. 

*'0h,  well,  get  on  with  the  fun,  boys,"  called 
out  Bill,  *'the  shooting's  off." 

Jones  took  Jack  over  into  a  corner.  ''D'you 


THE  EOUND-UP  129 

notice  anybody  missin',  JackT'  lie  asked, 
Jack  looked  round. 

*'Yes,  Chris/'  he  replied. 

**Well,  then,  you'll  guess  why  I  plugged  the 
gas  mantle ;  that  boy  was  just  aimin'  to  put  you 
out  for  the  long  count.  I  didn't  want  to  call 
attention  to  it,  so  thought  I'd  best  put  out  the 
lights.  But  keep  your  eye  on  him,  Jack,  he 
means  to  get  you  some  day." 

The  party  broke  up  about  midnight,  and  as 
they  rode  out  of  the  town  they  emptied  their 
revolvers  into  the  air,  and  then  galloped  wildly 
back  to  the  ranch.  Every  one  voted  it  a  good 
evening,  and  Jack  became  even  more  popular 
because  of  his  sporting  refusal  to  accept  the 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  as  a  personal 
gift. 

'*Yes,  sirree,"  Slim  loudly  remarked  as  the 
boys  were  turning  into  their  bunks,  **that  boy's 
a  real  genuine  cow-puncher;  none  o'  yer  milk- 
and-water-daren't-spend-a-nickel  fellows,  but  a 
proper  man."  All  of  which  was  very  pleasing 
to  Jack.  To  be  one  of  the  crowd  of  these  dare- 
devil riders  was  what  he  had  set  his  heart  upon, 
and  now  he  had  succeeded. 

The  following  days  were  busy  ones  for  every 
one  on  the  ranch,  for  they  were  preparing  for 


130  MAKING  GOOD 

the  autumn  round-up.  In  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer, horses  and  cattle  were  allowed  to  wander 
at  their  own  sweet  will,  and  many  of  them  wan- 
dered away  miles  from  the  ranch.  In  the 
autumn  they  were  all  rounded  up  and  brought 
back  to  the  ranch  so  as  to  be  within  a  conven- 
ient distance  should  the  severity  of  the  winter 
weather  prevent  them  from  getting  sufficient 
nourishment  from  the  prairie  grass.  As  long  as 
the  snow  was  soft  and  not  too  deep,  they  usu- 
ally **  rustled  *'  for  themselves,  but  when  it 
froze  hard  and  they  were  unable  to  paw  their 
way  through  it,  then  it  was  necessary  for  the 
rancher  to  run  them  into  corrals  and  other  con- 
venient places,  and  see  that  they  got  sufficient 
food.  In  extremely  severe  weather  the  ranch- 
ers, unless  precautions  had  been  taken,  lost 
heavily,  thousands  of  cattle  dying  from  expo- 
sure and  under-feeding.  All  the  riders,  with  the 
exception  of  one  or  two  left  behind  for  the 
necessary  duties  on  the  ranch,  went  on  the 
round-up,  and  as  they  were  usually  away  for 
several  weeks,  a  cook  kitchen  went  along  with 
them. 

One  fine  autumn  morning,  with  a  cloudless 
sky  and  the  air  just  a  trifle  nippy,  the  boys  rode 
out  from  the  ranch.  Bill,  the  foreman,  detailed 


THE  EOUND-UP  131 

the  riders  off  in  pairs  so  that  the  country  should 
be  thoroughly  searched  for  all  cattle  bearing 
the  Q.  Z.  brand.  The  rendezvous  at  night  was 
stated  to  which  they  would  return,  driving 
ahead  of  them  all  the  cattle  that  could  be  found. 
At  night,  riders  were  detailed  to  act  as  guard, 
so  that  none  of  the  cattle  which  had  been 
rounded  up  should  stray  off  again.  Occasion- 
ally the  cook  kitchen  would  remain  in  one  spot 
for  several  days,  to  permit  of  a  thorough  search 
being  made. 

Needless  to  say,  Jack  and  Jones  were  paired 
off,  and,  side  by  side,  they  rode  across  the  prai- 
ries day  after  day  from  daylight  to  dark.  Those 
days  were  among  the  happiest  that  Jack  ever 
spent.  Together  he  and  his  companion  would 
ride  over  to  a  bunch  of  cattle,  then  go  in  among 
them,  cutting  out  from  the  bunch  any  that  had 
the  Q.  Z.  brand  on  them.  They  would  then  run 
them  clear  of  their  old  friends  in  the  direction 
of  another  bunch.  They  were  then  left  some 
distance  away,  while  Jack  and  Jones  rode  into 
the  new  bunch  and  sorted  out  the  Q.  Z.  cattle, 
and  returned  with  them  to  those  that  had 
already  been  collected.  In  this  way  a  nice  little 
bunch  would  be  collected  with  which  to  return 
to  the  rendezvous  at  night. 


132  MAKING  GOOD 

It  was  pleasant  but  tiring  work,  for  it  meant 
hours  being  spent  in  the  saddle  each  day,  and  it 
frequently  involved  hard  riding,  as  some  of  the 
wanderers  refused  to  be  parted  from  their 
friends  of  many  months.  At  night  Jack,  with 
his  saddle  for  a  pillow,  rolled  into  his  blanket ; 
and  often  before  falling  asleep  he  lay  for  hours 
looking  into  the  sky  with  its  myriads  of  scintil- 
lating stars.  Many  happy  evenings  were  spent 
around  the  wood  fire  after  supper.  Slim  could 
knock  a  few  decent  tunes  out  of  his  violin,  and 
the  boys  lustily  sang  the  choruses.  Jack  and 
Jones  had  to  take  their  turn  as  cattle  guard  at 
night,  and  a  busy  time  it  was  too,  for,  though 
the  majority  of  the  cattle  were  quiet  enough, 
some  were  more  restless,  doubtless  remember- 
ing the  friends  they  had  recently  been  sep- 
arated from,  and  they  would  attempt  to  escape 
from^  the  crowd  of  strangers  and  steal  off  in 
the  darkness.  It  was  for  these  that  Jack  was  on 
the  lookout  and  many  tussels  he  had  with  them. 
Some  of  them  used  to  escape,  and  at  daybreak 
they  could  be  seen  hurrying  off  back  to  their  old 
haunts. 

The  round-up  was  fast  coming  to  a  close; 
several  hundred  cattle  had  been  gathered  in 


THE  EOUND-UP  133 

and  the  party  were  retracing  their  steps  back 
to  the  ranch. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  a  long,  tiring  day,  and 
the  boys  had  almost  all  returned  to  the  camp. 
Jack  and  Jones  had  dismounted  and  were  lead- 
ing their  ponies  over  to  the  picket  lines,  when 
there  was  an  uneasy  movement  among  the  graz- 
ing herd.  There  was  a  tossing  sea  of  heads  all 
lifted  up  and  sniffing. 

** What's  on  now,  JoeT'  asked  Jack.  **Look 
at  the  cattle — every  one  of  them  sniffing. ' ' 

**Was  noticin*  the  same  thing  myself.  Jack,'' 
replied  Jones,  *^an'  if  I'm  not  plum  crazy  on 
smellin'  smoke  since  that  forest  fire  way  down 
East,  I  should  be  mighty  suspicious  about  a 
smell  of  burning." 

^^Same  here,  Joe;  but  look  over  there. 
Unless  I've  gone  mad  and  am  seeing  things, 
that's  not  only  smoke  but  fire!" 

* '  Quick,  Jack,  quick !  Into  the  saddle  you  get, ' ' 
shouted  Jones,  seizing  Jack's  arm  excitedly. 
This  was  only  the  work  of  a  few  seconds 
for  Jack,  and  not  any  too  soon,  for  surg- 
ing toward  them  at  a  rapidly  increasing  pace 
was  the  herd  of  several  hundred  cattle,  heads 
tossing  and  a  wild  look  of  fear  in  their  eyes.  On 
they  swept  toward  the  little  camp,  moved  by 


134  MAKING  GOOD 

that  strongest  of  all  animal  instincts — the  in- 
stinct of  self-preservation,  and  pursued  by  the 
demon  of  fire  which  ran  along  the  prairie  like 
a  thing  of  life,  helped  in  its  pursuit  by  a  strong 
breeze.  For  the  prairie  was  on  fire,  and  the 
prairie  grass,  already  withered  and  dry  by  the 
summer  heat,  was  a  willing  servant  of  the 
scorching  demon. 

*^This  way,  Jack,"  called  out  Jones.  ''We 
mustn't  be  caught  in  this  stampede, ''  and  to- 
gether they  made  a  dash  for  safety.  The  flying 
cattle  presented  a  wild  and  fearsome  spectacle. 
Maddened  and  terrified  by  the  pursuing  flames, 
they  thundered  across  the  prairie  regardless  of 
all  obstacles.  It  would  have  been  utterly  futile 
and  an  act  of  insanity  to  attempt  to  stop  them. 
The  boys  rushed  for  their  ponies  and  got  clear 
as  best  they  could,  away  out  of  the  path  of  the 
maddened  herd.  Jack  turned  to  see  what  was 
happening  in  the  camp,  when  to  his  horror  he 
saw  that  Chris  and  the  cook,  unable  to  reach 
their  horses,  were  in  imminent  danger  of  being 
trampled  underfoot. 

**Look,  Joe,  we  must  go  back.  Chris  and  the 
cook  will  be  killed  if  we  don't.*' 

**It's  madness.  Jack,"  called  out  Jones, 
'* they '11  run  your  pony  down  for  sure." 


THE  EOUND-UP  135 

** Anyhow,  I'm  going/'  replied  Jack,  wheel- 
ing his  terrified  pony  round  on  his  haunches 
and  dashing  back  in  the  face  of  the  stampeding 
cattle. 

**I'm  with  you,  then,"  shouted  Jones,  turn- 
ing his  pony  at  the  same  time  and  following 
after  Jack. 

It  was  now  a  race  as  to  whether  the  cattle 
or  the  two  horsemen  would  reach  the  unfortu- 
nate boys  first.  The  latter  won  by  a  matter  of 
yards  only.  Jack  seized  Chris  and  dragged  him 
up  into  the  saddle,  Jones  doing  the  same  serv- 
ice for  the  cook  just  as  the  vanguard  of  the 
cattle  struck  their  ponies  and  swept  them  along 
with  them. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  ICE-HOCKEY  CHAMPIONS 

THE  herd  of  cattle  swept  onward  as  irre- 
sistible as  tlie  tide  on  the  seashore.  Chris 
scrambled  into  the  saddle  behind  Jack,  who 
vainly  tried  to  control  his  pony.  Gored  and 
buffeted  and  terrified,  the  pony  plunged  madly 
on.  To  have  attempted  to  resist  the  pressure  of 
the  cattle  from  behind  would  have  been  mad- 
ness, for  the  pony  would  have  been  swept  off  his 
feet.  As  it  was.  Jack  had  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  holding  the  pony  up  as  he  swept  along  in 
the  vanguard  of  the  stampeding  herd. 

It  was  a  thrilling  and  memorable  ride,  seated 
on  a  pony  mad  with  fright,  and  with  a  mob,  sev- 
eral hundred  strong,  of  charging  cattle  behind 
him.  Despite  the  difficulties  and  the  panicky 
nature  of  the  situation,  Jack  did  not  lose  his 
head.  He  knew  that  the  cattle  could  not  keep 
up  this  pace  for  long,  and  then  would  come  his 
chance  to  forge  ahead  and  get  clear. 

His  deductions  proved  to  be  right,  for  pres» 

136 


THE  ICE-HOCKEY  CHAMPIONS    137 

ently  the  cattle  began  to  slow  down  and  Jack 
seized  every  opportunity  of  pushing  his  pony 
through  the  herd  in  front  of  him,  until  in  a  few 
minutes,  after  much  patience  and  skill,  he 
eventually  got  clear.  The  pony  needed  no  urg- 
ing, and  Jack  was  soon  well  ahead  of  the  cat- 
tle. He  edged  off  to  the  left  until  he  was  clear 
of  them  and  then  wheeled  back,  getting  round 
and  behind  them.  He  pulled  up  his  trembling, 
exhausted  pony. 

*^Whew,  you  little  pinto!''  he  said,  bending 
over  him,  *  *  we  had  a  narrow  squeak  that  time. ' ' 

*^You  are  right,''  said  Chris  from  behind 
him,  **and  perhaps  I  had  the  narrowest  squeak 
of  all,  for  I  hadn  't  an  earthly  chance  of  getting 
out  of  the  way  of  them. ' ' 

** That's  so,"  remarked  Jack  coldly;  ** almost 
as  narrow  an  escape  as  I  had  when  Jones  put 
the  lights  out." 

Chris  did  not  reply  but  slipped  to  the  ground. 

**I  suppose  I  owe  my  life  to  you.  Young," 
he  said ;  then,  taking  out  a  note  case  he  had,  he 
picked  out  ten  five-dollar  notes. 

'^Here  you  are,"  he  said,  offering  them  to 
Jack ;  *  *  I  'd  hate  to  owe  anything  to  you,  though 
I'm  much  obliged  for  coming  to  my  help." 

Jack  looked  down  at  the  notes  for  a  few 


138  MAKING  GOOD 

seconds  before  speaking,  then  observed  sarcas- 
tically : 

**Are  you  quite  sure  your  life  is  worth  that 
much?  Personally,  I  don't  think  it  is,  and 
would  be  much  obliged  if  you'd  put  that  money 
back  into  your  pocket. ' ' 

Just  then  Jones,  with  the  cook  behind,  rode 
up. 

**Say,  Jack,  but  I'm  glad  to  see  you  safe.  My 
time  and  attention  were  too  much  taken  up  to 
permit  any  distractions,  and  since  that  locoed 
herd  of  cattle  struck  us,  I  haven't  seen  you 
until  now." 

*  *  You  boys  are  sure  made  of  the  right  stuff, ' ' 
broke  in  the  cook  enthusiastically.  **I'd  sure 
begun  singin'  hymns  in  expectation  of  a  sud- 
den an'  speedy  death  when  this  seagoin'  cow- 
puncher  dashed  in,  picked  me  up,  an'  thro  wed 
me  across  th'  saddle." 

**Look,"  said  Jack,  **see  the  boys  fighting 
the  fire!  Come  on,  Joe,  let's  hurry  over  to 
them." 

They  then  rode  over  to  where  the  camp  had 
been.  Its  appearance  suggested  that  it  had  re- 
cently been  hit  by  a  cyclone,  for  pots  and  pans 
were  trampled  into  the  ground  and  the  kitchen 
was  overturned. 


THE  ICE-HOCKEY  CHAMPIONS    139 

**Here,  Jack,^^  called  out  Jones,  **  catch  hold 
of  them  empty  oat  sacks,  an^  we'll  go  over  to 
help  the  boys.  In  the  meantime,  we'll  tie  the 
ponies  np  here.'' 

About  three  hundred  yards  away  the  boys 
could  be  seen  making  tremendous  efforts  to  put 
out  the  prairie  fire,  and  already  they  were  meet- 
ing with  success.  Empty  oat  sacks  were  being 
used  with  which  to  beat  out  the  fire.  Getting  in 
behind  the  flames,  the  boys  rapidly  worked 
along  the  fringe  of  the  fire  until  a  wide  gap  had 
been  cleared;  they  then  divided  and  worked 
outward  from  this  so  that,  after  several  hours' 
hard  work,  they  had  the  fire  under  control  and 
finally  extinguished.  It  was  a  weary  crowd, 
with  blackened,  scorched  faces,  that  gathered 
around  the  cook  that  night. 

The  cook  had  shown  his  usual  resourceful- 
ness, and  supplies  had  been  obtained  from 
ranchers  in  the  neighborhood,  who  were  only  too 
pleased  to  give  them  in  return  for  the  invalu- 
able services  the  boys  had  rendered,  for  the 
fire  had  been  a  very  real  and  serious  menace  to 
them. 

*'Well  boys,"  said  Bill,  '^I  reckon  we'll  need 
no  cattle  guards  to-night,  for  the  last  I  saw  of 
them  they  were  hittin'  the  trail  West  faster 


140  MAKING  GOOD 

than  any  express  train.  I  guess  we  got  some 
job  on  to-morrow  roundin'  'em  up  again.  Still, 
they're  well  on  the  way  to  the  Q.  Z.,  so  we  may 
not  lose  so  much  time,  after  all.'' 

After  water  had  been  brought,  the  boys  had 
a  good  sluice  down  and  a  happy  evening  fol- 
lowed. It  is  only  in  the  crowded  cities  that  men 
worry,  not  in  the  open  plains. 

The  next  morning  they  were  all  up  early  and 
pushed  ahead  in  search  of  the  cattle.  They  had 
not  gone  far  before  they  came  upon  the  bulk  of 
them  peacefully  grazing.  A  few  had  become 
separated,  but  by  night-time  they  had  all  been 
rounded  up  again.  In  a  few  more  days  they 
were  back  at  the  ranch  with  all  the  stragglers 
gathered  in. 

It  had  been  a  happy  experience  for  Jack,  and 
the  open-air  life  was  agreeing  with  Eim  tremen- 
dously. He  had  grown  taller  since  arriving  at 
the  Q.  Z.,  and  had  become  more  muscular.  In 
appearance  he  was  as  picturesque  as  the  rest 
of  the  cow-punchers,  with  his  loosely  knotted, 
gaudily  colored  neckerchief,  his  woolly  ** chaps," 
and  broad-brimmed  Stetson  hat. 

The  round-up  had  enabled  him  to  resume  his 
intimate  companionship  with  Jones.  As  a  cow- 
puncher  the  ex-sailor  of  the  Jersey  was  second 


THE  ICE-HOCKEY  CHAMPIONS    141 

to  none  on  the  Q.  Z.,  but  he  did  his  work  quietly 
and  without  ostentation;  he  was  one  of  the  least 
self-assertive  of  men  and  consequently  attracted 
little  notice  to  himself.  To  Bill,  the  foreman,  he 
was  only  a  steady,  reliable  cow-puncher ;  but  to 
Jack  he  was  a  hero  upon  whom  he  lavished  that 
measure  of  hero  worship  which  only  a  boy  can 
give.  Jones,  on  the  other  hand,  was  inordinately 
proud  of  Jack,  and  never  tired  of  talking  about 
him.  Over  and  over  again  he  had  detailed  the 
incident  on  board  the  Jersey  when  Jack  gal- 
lantly came  to  his  assistance,  and  on  the  night  of 
the  prairie  fire  he  gave  the  boys  a  vivid  account 
of  Jack^s  plucky  rescue.  Since  that  time  no 
word  had  passed  between  Chris  and  Jack,  but 
Mr.  Mcintosh,  who  had  heard  of  the  incident, 
came  over  to  the  bunk  house  and  thanked  Jack 
for  his  gallant  conduct. 

** Young,''  he  said,  *'you  are  getting  deeper 
and  deeper  into  the  debt  of  the  people  at  the 
ranch  house.  As  I  am  always  saying,  that 
was  a  lucky  chance  meeting  I  had  with  you  and 
Jones ;  you  are  both  made  of  the  real  stuff  that 
makes  good  in  this  land  of  opportunity/' 

Of  course  Mr.  Mcintosh  had  not  heard  of 
how  his  nephew  attempted  to  repay  Jack's 
bravery  in  risking  his  own  life  to  rescue  him. 


142  MAKING  GOOD 

Jack  had  kept  that  a  secret;  he  had  not  even 
told  it  to  Jones.  The  ill-concealed  hostility  of 
Chris  had  not  abated  one  jot.  Gratitude  was 
apparently  a  minus  quantity  in  his  nature. 

With  the  shortening  of  the  days  and  the  com- 
ing of  winter,  life  became  a  little  less  strenu- 
ous on  the  ranch.  It  also  brought  with  it 
invitations  to  Jack  to  spend  some  of  the  long 
evenings  at  the  ranch  house,  invitations  which 
he  was  not  slow  to  accept.  In  this  way  he  met 
many  of  the  owners  of  neighboring  ranches  and 
their  families.  There  were  many  jolly  dances 
and  happy  evenings.  But  best  of  all  he  loved 
the  moonlight  sleigh  rides  accompanied  by  the 
musical  jingle  of  the  bells  as  the  sleigh  skimmed 
over  the  frozen  snow.  His  Stetson  had  given 
way  to  a  fur  cap,  and  the  mackinaw  coat  he  had 
had  given  Iiim  on  the  journey  came  in,  as  he 
said  to  Jones,  ** mighty  useful.'' 

Mr.  Mcintosh,  knowing  of  the  boys'  passion 
for  gambling,  sought  to  give  them  other  inter- 
ests in  healthy  outdoor  sports,  and  soon  after 
the  winter  had  set  in  there  arrived  at  the  Q.  Z. 
ranch  a  complete  outfit  for  ice  hockey.  Mr. 
Mcintosh,  in  order  to  create  a  general  interest 
in  the  game,  offered  a  challenge  cup  to  be  com- 
peted for  by  the  boys  of  neighboring  ranches. 


'       THE  ICE-HOCKEY  CHAMPIONS    143 

This  was  enthusiastically  taken  up,  and  entries 
were  received  from  the  Circle-Bar,  U-Bar,  the 
T-N,  the  S-Cross,  the  Three-Bar,  and  the  Q.  Z. 
ranches. 

Ice  hockey  became  the  prevailing  topic,  and 
the  keenest  rivalry  was  shown.  Bill,  the  fore- 
man, took  the  lead  at  the  Q.  Z.,  and  a  part  of 
the  large  lake  was  cleared  and  smoothed  down. 
Here  trial  games  took  place  for  the  final  selec- 
tion of  the  seven  players  to  represent  the  Q.  Z. 
in  their  first  game,  which  was  against  the  XJ-Bar 
ranch. 

A  committee  of  three  prominent  ranchers 
took  charge  of  the  competition  and  made  all  the 
arrangements.  The  team  from  the  Circle-Bar 
were  established  favorites,  for  two  of  the 
rancher's  sons  had  distinguished  themselves 
at  the  game  while  at  college,  and  it  was  gener- 
ally expected  that  their  greater  experience 
would  just  about  enable  them  to  win  the  trophy. 

Mr.  Mcintosh  was  naturally  very  keen  to  see 
his  boys  win  it,  and  each  afternoon  he  could  be 
found  watching  the  trials,  and  discussing  with 
Bill  the  merits  of  the  different  players.  There 
were  two  or  three  who  quickly  established  their 
claims  to  a  place  in  the  team,  Chris  being  one 
of  them,  his  speed  and  shooting  ability  mark- 


144  MAKING  GOOD 

ing  him  down  as  a  certainty  for  one  of  the  wing 
positions.  Jones  was  another  who  was  soon 
assured  of  a  place  in  the  team,  his  size,  imper- 
turbability, and  quick  eye  making  him  an  ideal 
goal  keeper. 

At  first  Jack  was  one  of  the  *  *  tryers, ' '  for  he 
was  not  very  familiar  with  the  game,  his  only 
experience  having  been  gained  the  previous 
winter  during  the  short  stay  in  the  little 
Ontario  town.  He  could  skate  well,  however,  and 
this  was  a  very  good  asset.  He  only  needed  ex- 
perience and  this,  as  was  usual  with  him,  he 
spared  himself  no  effort  to  obtain.  His  untiring 
energy  and  dash  obtained  for  him,  in  the  final 
selection,  the  important  place  of  *  *  rover, ' '  prob- 
ably the  hardest-worked  player  on  the  side. 
Jack  was  quite  equal  to  this,  though,  for  he  was 
in  excellent  condition.  The  games  were  to  be 
decided  on  the  skating  rink  in  town,  which  was 
kept  in  first-class  condition.  One  of  the  games 
had  already  been  decided,  the  Circle-Bar  team 
having  easily  disposed  of  that  from  the  T-N 
ranch  by  the  one-sided  score  of  eleven  goals  to 
nothing.  The  games  were  attracting  widespread 
interest,  and  the  crowd  that  gathered  around 
the  rink  when  Q.  Z.  met  U-Bar  was  a  truly  rep- 
resentative one.   When  the  teams  took  the  ice 


THE  ICEhHOCKEY  CHAMPIONS    145 

there  were  noisy  exclamations  from  their  par- 
tisans. 

*^Come  on,  Q.  Z.,"  shouted  Slim.  *^Eat  'em 
alive;  you've  got  'em  buffaloed  for  a  start." 

The  game  promised  to  be  closely  contested 
and  was  fought  out  with  the  greatest  determi- 
nation. The  U-Bar  team,  to  the  accompaniment 
of  a  noisy  demonstration  from  their  supporters, 
were  first  to  threaten  danger.  By  a  piece  of 
pretty  play  they  swept  down  on  the  Q.  Z.  goal, 
and  one  of  the  forwards,  left  with  a  clear  open- 
ing, sent  in  the  puck  for  what  looked  like  a 
certain  goal. 

But  Jones  had  anticipated  this,  and  moved 
over  in  time  to  meet  the  puck  with  his  pads. 
Some  swift  exchanges  followed;  the  Q.  Z.  for- 
wards swarmed  round  the  U-Bars'  goal,  and  in 
a  melee  in  front  of  the  goal  the  puck  was  sent 
into  the  net.  The  supporters  of  the  Q.  Z.  team 
immediately  proceeded  to  empty  their  maga- 
zines, firing  their  revolvers  into  the  air.  It  re- 
sembled nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  miniature 
battle.  This  put  the  U-Bar  team  on  their  met- 
tle, and  their  ** rover,"  the  captain,  and  by  far 
the  speediest  and  most  skillful  player  on  the 
side,  next  put  in  a  brilliant  solo  effort.  Getting 
hold  of  the  puck  near  his  own  goal,  he  skated 


146  MAKING  GOOD 

tlirough  the  opposing  players  until  he  had  the 
Q.  Z.  goal  at  his  mercy;  but  just  as  he  was 
about  to  shoot,  Jack  skated  over  to  him,  travel- 
ing like  a  cyclone,  and  picked  the  puck  off  his 
stick  in  brilliant  fashion.  He  had  worked  up 
such  speed  that  he  was  unable  to  prevent  him- 
self from  crashing  into  the  boards  protecting  the 
rink.  It  was  a  great  save  and  came  in  for  well- 
deserved  applause.  The  U-Bar  boys  were  not 
to  be  denied,  though,  and  shortly  before  the 
interval  their  captain  broke  through  the  Q.  Z. 
defence  and  scored  a  pretty  goal. 

The  interval  arrived  with  the  score  one-all, 
which  truly  reflected  the  play,  for  it  had  been 
an  evenly  fought,  dingdong  game.  The  pace  had 
been  so  hot  that  it  seemed  certain  that  stamina 
would  decide  the  result,  and  Bill  confidently 
assured  Mr.  Mcintosh  that  his  side  would  win. 
For  the  first  few  minutes  of  the  second  half  the 
play  was  rather  tame  but,  urged  on  by  their 
supporters,  the  teams  warmed  up  to  their  work. 
There  was  a  groan  of  disappointment  when 
Chris,  after  a  pretty  piece  of  individual  play, 
shot  past  an  open  goal. 

For  the  next  few  minutes  the  U-Bar  forwards 
took  possession  of  the  game,  and  here  both  Jack 
and  Jones  played  magnificently,  defending  the 


THE  ICE-HOCKEY  CHAMPIONS    147 

goal  in  splendid  fashion;  but  at  the  end  of  fif- 
teen minutes'  play  the  U-Bar  forwards  rushed 
the  puck  into  the  net.  When  the  teams  crossed 
over  at  the  end  of  the  third  period  the  score 
was  two  goals  to  one  in  favor  of  the  U-Bar 
team.  It  was  now  that  the  superior  stamina  of 
the  Q.  Z.  boys  began  to  tell,  and  the  game  had 
only  been  in  progress  two  minutes  when  the 
equalizinfi  fioal  was  obtained.  The  U-Bar  team 
were  now  pinned  in  their  own  half,  and  val- 
iantly as  they  defended,  the  Q.  Z.  boys  shot  two 
more  goals,  and  a  strenuous  game  resulted  in  a 
victory  for  them  by  four  goals  to  two. 

It  had  been  Jack's  first  real  test,  and  he  had 
acquitted  himself  well.  His  tackling  had  been 
daring  and  skillful,  and  his  speed  had  enabled 
him  to  cover  the  goal  and  prevent  the  opposing 
forwards  from  getting  to  close  quarters  with 
Jones. 

*'You  played  a  great  game.  Jack,"  Jones 
remarked  to  him  as  they  were  taking  off  their 
skates,  **but  you  keep  just  a  little  too  close  to 
the  goal.  Next  time  you  want  to  try  a  run 
through  on  your  own.  There's  no  better  way 
of  defending  your  own  goal  than  by  attacking 
your  opponents. ' ' 

Jack  was  always  ready  for  tips,  and  deter- 


148  MAKING  GOOD 

mined  to  practice  dashing  through  on  his  own. 
The  result  gave  great  satisfaction  to  Mr.  Mc- 
intosh. **You  boys  are  sure  enough  fighters/' 
he  said  to  them  after  the  game,  **and  Bill  had 
you  all  in  pretty  good  shape.  If  we  can't  beat 
the  Circle-Bar  boys  we  can  give  them  a  good 
run  for  their  money,  and  if  you  do  beat  them, 
there'll  be  one  big  celebration  at  my  expense." 

The  following  week  the  third  game  in  the 
competition  took  place,  and  a  hard-fought  game 
resulted  in  a  win  for  the  Three-Bar  team  by 
five  goals  to  three.  Three  teams  were  now  left 
in  the  competition — the  Circle-Bar,  the  Three- 
Bar,  and  the  Q.  Z.  The  draw  resulted  in  a  bye 
for  the  Q.  Z.  team,  so  on  the  day  of  the  game 
between  the  Circle-Bar  and  the  Three-Bar 
teams,  Jack  and  Jones  rode  into  town  to  wit- 
ness it. 

The  sons  of  the  owners  of  the  Circle-Bar 
ranch  dominated  the  game,  their  brilliant  indi- 
vidual efforts  completely  demoralizing  the 
opposing  defence,  and  the  final  score  was  eight 
goals  to  three  in  their  favor. 

Jones  had  concentrated  his  attention  on  the 
tactics  of  the  Circle-Bar  team,  and  gave  his 
deductions  to  Jack  as  they  rode  back  to  the 
ranch. 


THE  ICE-HOCKEY  CHAMPIONS    149 

**D'you  know,  Jack,  I'm  not  at  all  sure  that 
we  won't  beat  the  Circle-Bar  crowd.  I  watched 
'em  pretty  closely,  and  they  rely  almost  en- 
tirely on  the  two  Healy  boys.  Did  you  see  how 
easily  their  defence  cracked  up  when  the 
Three-Bar  boys  pulled  themselves  together  and 
settled  down  to  business?  It's  a  two-man  team 
and  you  must  drop  that  covering  game  of  yours 
and  go  for  their  goal  every  time.  I'll  take  a 
chance  with  these  two  boys.  The  more  we  push 
their  defence  the  less  likely  they  will  be  to 
trouble  me." 

^*Yes,"  replied  Jack,  **I  believe  you've  got 
them  pretty  well  sized  up,  Joe.  I  think  you 
should  talk  to  the  boys  about  it;  a  little  think- 
ing before  a  game  is  better  than  a  lot  of  talk 
and  excusing  afterward." 

So  Jones  got  the  boys  together,  and  as  a 
result  they  practiced  the  attacking  game  and  left 
the  burden  of  the  defence  entirely  on  Jones's 
broad  shoulders.  They  all  knew  that  he  could 
not  be  rattled,  as  Bill  said ;  a  goal  or  two  would 
not  in  any  way  affect  his  play. 

On  the  day  of  the  game  the  town  was  as  busy, 
as  crowded  and  lively  as  on  the  day  of  the 
August  Fair.  Families  from  neighboring  ranches 
drove  in,  and  everywhere  there  was  the  merry 


150  MAKING  GOOD 

musical  jingle  of  sleigh  bells.  EougH  stands 
had  been  erected  around  the  rink,  all  the  ranch- 
ers giving  a  helping  hand.  Joan,  well  muffled  in 
furs,  was  there  with  her  father  to  cheer  on  the 
Q.  Z.  boys.  The  Circle-Bar  team,  by  virtue  of 
their  easy  victories,  were  the  established  favor- 
ites, and  the  Q.  Z.  team  knew  well  the  diffi- 
cult task  they  were  up  against.  The  referee  had 
been  specially  brought  over  from  Calgary,  and 
was  a  man  who  knew  the  game  from  A  to  Z. 
Both  teams  were  given  a  rousing  reception 
when  they  took  the  ice,  and  it  was  soon  appar- 
ent that  this  was  to  be  no  ordinary  game. 

Jack  was  the  hero  of  a  sensational  start. 
Getting  hold  of  the  puck  in  the  first  minute  of 
the  game,  he  dashed  through  the  opposing  play- 
ers, and,  never  pausing  to  take  aim,  he  swept 
the  puck  into  the  net  before  they  had  recovered 
from  their  astonishment.  The  Q.  Z.  supporters 
literally  brought  down  the  house,  for  the  vigor 
of  their  applause,  which  was  not  altogether 
vocal,  caused  part  of  the  hastily  erected  stand  to 
collapse.  But  no  one  was  hurt,  and  the  game 
was  resumed.  The  keenness  of  the  play  was 
responsible  for  a  little  ill  feeling  being  intro- 
duced, but  the  referee  quickly  intervened,  and 
the  two  offending  players  were  sent  off  for  a 


THE  ICE-HOCKEl  CHAMPIONS    151 

few  minuses  to  give  their  heated  passions  time 
to  cool  down. 

The  puck  traveled  from  end  to  end  at  an 
amazing  pace,  and  excitement  ran  high.  The 
two  Healy  boys  swept  through  the  Q.  Z.  defence, 
only  to  give  Jones  an  opportunity  of  effecting 
a  superb  clearance.  He  sent  the  puck  out  to 
Jack,  who  in  turn  sent  it  to  Chris,  and  the  Q.  Z. 
forwards  swept  down  on  the  Circle-Bar  goal. 
Chris  sent  in  a  well-directed  shot,  only  to  hit 
the  goal  keeper.  It  came  out  to  a  Q.  Z.  forward, 
who  promptly  flashed  it  into  the  net  before  the 
goal  keeper  had  recovered,  and  so,  at  the  end  of 
seven  minutes'  play,  the  Q.  Z.  team  were  two 
goals  up.  The  Healy  boys  began  to  get  wise  to 
the  tactics  of  the  Q.  Z.  team,  and,  despite  the  ef- 
forts of  Jones,  they  rushed  through  three  goals 
before  the  end  of  the  first  period.  When  the 
teams  crossed  over  Jack  repeated  his  former 
effort  and  made  the  game  three-all.  The  Q.  Z. 
forwards  now  overpowered  the  Circle-Bar 
defence,  and  two  more  goals  rewarded  their 
efforts,  so  that  the  score  at  the  interval  was  five 
goals  to  three  in  their  favor. 

The  game  so  far  had  been  fought  at  a  tremen- 
dous pace,  and  had  been  full  of  excitement  and 
surprises.    The  Circle-Bar  supporters  had  not 


152  MAKING  GOOD 

expected  that  their  team  would  be  in  arrears  at 
the  interval,  but  the  tactics  that  Jones  had  ad- 
vised had  been  entirely  successful.  But  more 
thrills  and  sensations  were  in  store  for  the  spec- 
tators, for  within  three  minutes  of  the  resump- 
tion of  play  the  Circle-Bar  team  had  drawn 
level.  They  had  altered  their  methods,  the  team 
packing  their  own  goal  and  depending  upon  the 
two  Healy  boys  to  raid  the  opposing  goal.  The 
Q.  Z.  then  did  the  same,  so  that  for  a  few  min- 
utes the  game  became  slow. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  first  period  of  the 
second  half  there  were  some  fast  exchanges, 
and  Jones  had  to  capitulate  once  more  to  the 
Healy  boys,  and  on  the  resumption  of  the  fourth 
and  last  period  the  Q.  Z.  team  were  a  goal  in 
arrears. 

Jones  called  them  together.  **Take  a  chance, 
boys,  pile  in  on  them,  rattle  'em,  do  every- 
thing but  kill  them  unless  you  want  them  to 
beat  us.'' 

The  result  of  this  advice  was  a  savage  on- 
slaught on  the  Circle-Bars'  goal,  which  swept 
goal  keeper  and  puck  inlo  the  net.  This  success 
was  loudly  acclaimed  by  the  Q.  Z.  supporters. 
Jack  now  joined  issue  with  the  Healy  boys  with 
surprising  success,  partly  due  to  the  fact  that 


THE  ICE-HOCKEY  CHAMPIONS    153 

they  had  been  carrying  the  team  on  their 
shoulders  through  a  fast,  strenuous  game.  His 
persistency  finally  took  the  sting  out  of  the 
Circle-Bar  attack,  and  he  crowned  a  brilliant 
piece  of  checking  by  shooting  a  beautiful  goal 
from  thirty  yards  out.  Two  more  goals  followed 
in  quick  succession,  and  at  the  end  of  the  game 
the  Circle-Bar  team  was  well  beaten  with  the 
score  nine  goals  to  six.  The  Healy  boys  were 
the  first  to  admit  that  Jack^s  stubborn  persist- 
ence had  finally  spoiled  their  game,  and  this, 
added  to  the  three  brilliant  goals  he  had  scored, 
made  him  the  hero  of  the  occasion. 

''Say,  Jack,''  remarked  Jones  at  the  close 
of  the  game,  **you  are  a  bit  of  a  tartar  when 
you  set  your  teeth  into  anything.  The  way  you 
hung  on  to  them  Healy  boys  was  funny  to 
watch.  I  quite  expected  they'd  turn  on  you  an' 
smash  you  with  their  sticks." 

Joan  sought  out  Jack  and  congratulated  him 
on  his  share  in  the  triumph  of  the  Q.  Z.  team, 
Mr.  Mcintosh  kept  his  word  to  the  boys,  and 
the  rejoicings  at  the  Q.  Z.  ranch  were  kept  up 
into  the  early  hours  of  the  morning. 

''It  seems  mean,  boys,  somehow,"  Mr.  Mc- 
intosh remarked  in  a  little  speech  he  made.  "I 
offered  the  cup  for  competition,  and  the  first 
resting  place  it  finds  is  on  my  own  sideboard. ' ' 


CHAPTER  X 


LOST  IN   A  BLIZZARD 


THE  competition  for  the  cup  had  made 
ice  hockey  immensely  popular  in  the  dis- 
trict, and  many  games  of  a  friendly  nature 
took  place  until  a  spell  of  bad  wintry  weather 
compelled  the  ranchers  to  give  their  attention 
to  the  cattle  and  horses.  Although  it  had  been 
zero  weather  for  many  weeks,  with  occasional 
falls  of  fine,  powdery  snow,  the  stock  out  graz- 
ing had  had  no  difficulty  in  gettting  at  the  nour- 
ishing prairie  grass,  and  so  caused  the  ranchers 
no  anxiety.  As  long  as  such  conditions  pre- 
vailed there  was  ample  time  for  recreation  and 
indulgence  in  the  favorite  winter  pastimes,  and 
the  boys,  with  their  love  for  the  open  air,  were 
not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  it. 

One  evening,  at  sunset,  they  received  fair 
warning  that  these  good  times  were,  tempo- 
rarily at  any  rate,  coming  to  an  end,  for  on 
each  side  of  the  setting  sun  were  two  miniature 
suns  known  as  **sun  dogs.''    And  the  **smi 

154 


LOST  IN  A  BLIZZARD  155 

dogs"  never  lied:  their  presence  in  the  sky 
might  very  well  be  compared  to  the  warning 
bark  of  the  watchdog. 

^^Well,  boys,"  remarked  Bill  that  night,  ^^I 
guess  we'll  all  have  to  be  up  in  th'  mornin' 
an'  round  up  the  cattle.  We've  had  a  purty 
good  spell  of  fine  weather,  and  I  guess  she'll 
cut  up  rough  now." 

The  darkness  still  lingered  in  the  sky  when 
Jack  pulled  the  round  fur  cap  over  his  ears, 
Ife'ttoned  up  his  mackinaw  coat,  and  tightened 
up  his  ** chaps"  preparatory  to  climbing  into 
the  saddle.   Jones  was  already  waiting. 

** Looks  bad,  Jack,"  he  remarked,  ^^and  feels 
worse;  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  we  caught  it 
rough  before  we  got  back.  It's  a  fifteen-mile 
ride  to  where  Bill  has  asked  us  to  go.  I  guess 
we'd  better  hit  out  at  a  good  speed  before  she 
turns  ugly." 

**A11  right,  lead  the  way,  Joe,"  Jack  replied 
cheerily,  at  the  same  time  springing  into  the 
saddle.  They  faced  a  cold,  piercing  wind  which 
compelled  them  to  ride  with  heads  lowered,  and 
little  conversation  passed  between  them  as  they 
galloped  across  the  prairie.  The  sky  was  a 
mass  of  darkening  clouds,  and  the  cattle  they 
passed   as   they   rode   along,   sensitive  to   all 


156  MAKING  GOOD 

changes  in  tKe  weather,  were  lowing  dismally 
and  crowding  together  in  their  fear. 

They  reached  the  appointed  place,  rounded 
up  the  two  or  three  stray  cattle,  and  turned 
back  toward  the  ranch  with  them.  The  wind 
now  changed ;  instead  of  blowing  steadily  from 
one  direction  it  became  blustering  and  gusty. 
Presently  a  few  flakes  of  snow,  scarcely  per- 
ceptible at  first,  began  to  fall. 

*^We  must  run  the  cattle,  Jack,'*  Jones 
advised,  ^  ^  for  it  looks  an '  feels  as  if  we  were  in 
for  something  real  bad  in  the  shape  of 
weather."  And  so  they  drove  the  cattle  rapidly 
ahead,  only  halting  them  when  it  was  necessary 
to  round  up  small  bunches  some  distance  away. 
At  first  they  rode  off  together  to  drive  in  these 
stray  bunches,  but  as  the  snow  began  to  fall 
faster  and  the  wind  became  more  blustering, 
they  went  in  turn,  while  the  one  left  behind  pro- 
ceeded to  hustle  along  with  the  cattle  already 
rounded  up.  This  was  done  so  that  they  might 
reach  the  ranch  before  the  storm  became  worse. 

Although  the  wind  was  piercingly  cold,  the 
thermometer  registered  only  a  few  degrees  of 
frost,  between  15"  and  20^  and  the  snowflakes 
were  consequently  a  little  larger  than  usual, 
and  wet.  They  had  rounded  up  over  two  hun- 


LOST  IN  A  BLIZZARD  157 

dred  head  of  cattle  and  were  within  two  miles 
of  the  ranch  when  the  storm  showed  unmis- 
takable signs  of  developing  into  a  blizzard.  Pres- 
ently, dimly  perceptible  through  the  whirling 
mass  of  snowflakes,  they  saw  a  small  bunch  of 
cattle,  not  more  than  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
head. 

*^Look,  Joe,^^  called  out  Jack,  **I'll  just  run 
over  and  round  up  that  bunch ;  then  we  can  run 
them  all  into  the  corral." 

**I  don't  think  I'd  bother  about  them.  Jack," 
Jones  replied;  ** seems  to  me  the  weather's 
become  uncommonly  dirty  the  last  few  minutes, 
and  might  at  any  time  become  a  ragin'  blizzard. 
I  think  you'd  better  stay  with  me  and  get  this 
lot  home.  In  a  few  minutes  we  '11  be  back  at  the 
ranch,  and  that  little  bunch  over  there  will  most 
likely  be  all  right. ' ' 

'^Oh,  I  won't  be  a  minute,  Joe,  and  it  will 
just  be  as  well  to  make  sure  of  them;"  saying 
which,  Jack  dashed  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
stray  cattle  now  clustered  together  for  warmth 
and  companionship.  They  did  not  want  to  move, 
and  gave  Jack  no  end  of  trouble,  while  the  in- 
creasing violence  of  the  snowstorm  added  to  his 
difficulties.  It  was  some  minutes  before  he  got 
them  moving  in  the  direction  he  wanted  them  to 


158  MAKING  GOOD 

go.  He  calculated  that  Jones  would  have  moved 
ahead  some  considerable  distance,  so  he  drove 
them  toward  a  point  where  he  thought  he  could 
effect  a  junction.  With  each  minute  the  storm 
developed  in  violence,  and  the  wet,  stinging 
snowflakes  which  the  wind,  now  developed  into 
a  gale,  dashed  into  Jack's  face  made  it  next  to 
impossible  for  him  to  look  up.  He  fought  the 
storm  and  the  stubborn  cattle,  hoping  every 
minute  he  would  run  into  Jones.  He  seemed  to 
have  been  fighting  his  way  for  hours  and  still 
there  was  no  sign  of  Jones,  when  at  last  he 
decided  to  leave  the  cattle  and  set  out  in  search 
of  him. 

The  storm  had  now  become  a  raging  blizzard ; 
the  wind  blew  from  no  particular  direction,  but 
from  all  directions  at  once,  and  it  was  per- 
ceptibly colder;  it  whirled  the  mass  of  snow- 
flakes  about  him  until  he  became  dizzy  and 
exhausted.  In  less  than  an  hour  the  thermom- 
eter had  dropped  more  than  thirty  degrees, 
so  that  the  snow  froze  on  to  his  eyelashes  and 
face  and  crusted  his  clothing.  Then  there  fol- 
lowed a  struggle  with  his  pony.  The  latter 
pulled  to  go  in  one  direction,  while  Jack  stub- 
bornly disputed  with  it,  and  insisted  upon  its 
going  in  a  direction  almost  entirely  opposite. 


LOST  IN  A  BLIZZARD  159 

His  one  idea  now  was  to  get  back  to  the  ranch. 
His  pony  at  last  gave  up  the  struggle  and 
yielded  readily  to  every  pull  on  the  lines.  The 
poor,  faithful  little  beast  was  crusted  with 
frozen  snow.  Had  Jack  for  once  yielded  to  its 
sure  instinct  it  would  have  taken  him  home.  It 
had  fought  with  him  for  it,  and  having  at  last 
yielded,  it  went  forward  with  lowered  head  and 
in  a  kind  of  stupor.  The  continued  exposure 
and  the  steadily  increasing  cold  soon  began  to 
make  their  effects  felt  on  Jack. 

First  it  was  his  right  hand  that  became  numb 
and  lifeless.  With  an  effort  he  tore  off  the 
frozen  glove,  and  at  the  first  glance  he  knew  it 
was  frozen,  so  dismounted  and  rubbed  it  with 
snow  until  the  circulation,  accompanied  by 
stinging  pain,  came  back  into  it.  He  climbed 
back  into  the  saddle  and  roused  his  pony,  and 
for  a  few  minutes  it  galloped  rapidly  in  the  di- 
rection that,  if  followed.  Jack  was  sure  would 
bring  them  home  at  last.  On  they  pressed  in 
the  face  of  the  whirling,  stinging  snowflakes. 
Occasionally  Jack  raised  his  lowered  head  in 
the  hope  that  out  of  the  whirling  mass  of  white- 
ness there  would  emerge  some  recognizable 
landmark;  and  each  time  he  lowered  his  head 
again  with  a  sob  of  despair  and  disappointment. 


160  MAKING  GOOD 

At  last  he  gave  it  up.  He  was  lost! — lost  in 
a  raging  blizzard,  blinded  by  snow,  and  with  a 
deadly  paralysis  creeping  over  his  limbs  and 
faculties.  Now  he  stumbled  along  on  foot,  lead- 
ing his  pony,  in  an  effort  to  keep  the  circulation 
going  through  his  frozen  limbs ;  then,  exhausted 
by  this,  he  dragged  himself  back  into  the  saddle 
and  rode  along  in  a  stupor.  He  fought  desper- 
ately with  an  overpowering  desire  to  lie  down 
and  go  to  sleep.  How  delightfully  drowsy  he 
was  becoming!  It  seemed  as  if  some  seductive 
voice  was  urging  him  to  stretch  himself  out  on 
the  prairie  and  quietly  fall  asleep.  He  fought 
to  overcome  this  creeping  inertia,  and,  though 
benumbed  and  half  frozen,  he  struggled  on  his 
way. 

Jack  had  not  been  gone  many  minutes  before 
Jones  fell  in  with  two  riders  from  the  Q.  Z. 
who  had  been  sent  out  to  assist  those  who  had 
not  yet  returned. 

**Come  on,  boys,  let's  keep  'em  hustling,'* 
he  called  out.  **  Young  will  catch  up  with  us, 
for  he's  only  gone  after  a  bunch  over  to  the 
right." 

The  three  riders  soon  got  the  cattle  moving 
at  a  good  pace,  and  it  was  not  long  before  they 


LOST  IN  A  BLIZZAED  161 

were  running  tliem  into  a  corral  already  well 
filled.  Mr.  Mcintosh  greeted  then  as  they  rode 
up. 

''Good  work,  boys,''  he  called  out;  ''iFs  a 
dirty  day,  and  I'm  afraid  it'll  be  rough  on  any 
cattle  left  out.  You  boys  have  worked  hard 
to-day,  and  there's  only  a  few  hundred  head 
that  we  haven't  got  into  corrals.  When  she  lets 
up  we'll  soon  get  them  into  a  place  where  we 
can  feed  them  a  little  hay  until  they're  able  to 
go  out  and  rustle  for  themselves.  You  look 
pretty  well  done  up,  Jones;  had  a  long  ride?" 

'*Yes,  boss,"  replied  Jones,  ''went  fifteen 
miles  out  this  mornin'." 

"That  so,  now!  But  you  didn't  go  alone 
surely?" 

' '  No,  Young  went  with  me ;  I  left  him  a  little 
way  back — expect  he'll  be  along  in  a  few 
minutes." 

"I  certainly  hope  so,"  said  Mr.  Mcintosh, 
"for  unless  he's  here  pretty  soon  he's  in  for 
a  rough  time,  and  I  'd  hate  to  see  anything  hap- 
pen to  that  boy.  Let  me  know  when  he  gets 
back,  Jones,  will  you?"  he  asked  as  he  rode 
away. 

"I  will,  boss,  for  I'll  be  mighty  anxious  my- 
self until  he  arrives, ' '  called  out  Jones. 


162  MAKING  GOOD 

The  corrals  were  now  jammed  with  cattle, 
for  they  were  the  least  capable  of  all  the  stock 
on  the  ranch  of  taking  care  of  themselves  in  a 
storm.  They  either  followed  the  storm,  which- 
ever direction  it  went,  or  else  they  simply  stood 
huddled  together,  and  often  fell  frozen  as  they 
stood.  Horses,  on  the  other  hand,  did  not  take 
adverse  conditions  so  quietly.  They  pawed 
incessantly  through  the  snow,  always  getting  a 
little  food  and  keeping  the  circulation  going  by 
the  vigor  of  their  movements.  Jones  had  been 
among  the  last  of  the  riders  to  return,  and  he 
was  stiffened  and  frozen  as  he  made  his  way  to 
the  bunk  house. 

Hot  coffee  had  been  prepared,  so  that  return- 
ing riders  might  have  a  warm  drink.  Wood 
was  piled  on  to  the  stove  and  the  place  was 
sizzling  hot.  The  boys,  after  their  long  expo- 
sure, appreciated  the  warmth  and  comfort,  and 
drew  up  the  wooden  benches  to  the  stove  while 
they  proceeded  to  fill  their  pipes.  Outside  the 
blizzard  raged,  showing  no  signs  of  abatement. 

**Well,  sirree,''  Slim  remarked,  *^but  this 
storm  sure  beats  anythin*  I  ever  seed.  Keckon 
there'll  be  some  hundred  of  cattle  go  west  in 
this.  I'm  glad  to  be  seated  snug  an'  cozy  round 
this  lil'  ol'  fire  a-toastin'  me  feet." 


LOST  IN  A  BLIZZARD  163 

'*Yes,  I  guess  you  are,"  Jones  chipped  in, 
'^but  Jack  Young's  walking  around  somewhere 
in  that  blizzard,  lost  to  the  wide." 

**"We  mustn't  worry  about  him  yet  a  while," 
Bill  remarked;  ^^ maybe  he's  wandered  off  to 
some  other  ranch,  most  likely  the  Three-Bar. 
He'll  probably  show  up  when  this  storm  blows 
over." 

**I  wish  I  could  feel  the  same  way  about  it, 
but  I've  got  a  notion  that  the  boy's  in  trouble, 
an'  I  feel  mean  to  be  sittin'  in  front  of  this 
fire  and  that  boy  most  likely  wandering  round 
in  the  snow." 

**0h,  we  mustn't  give  up  hope  yet,  Joe;  and 
if  he  doesn't  show  up  pretty  soon  most  likely 
some  of  the  boys  will  be  willing  to  ride  round 
for  a  little  while  to  see  if  they  can  find  him. ' ' 

*^Yes,  sirree,  we  sure  will,"  called  out  Slim 
above  the  shouts  of  the  rest  of  the  boys,  ^^a  HP 
bit  of  snow  won't  a-keep  me  from  lookin'  for 
that  boy." 

The  minutes  passed  and  Jack  still  failed  to 
show  up.  While  the  rest  of  the  boys  joined 
noisily  in  their  favorite  card  game,  Jones  paced 
uneasily  the  floor  of  the  bunk  house,  a  great 
fear  clutching  at  his  heart. 

''It's  no  good,  Bill/'  he  called  out  at  last, 


164  MAKING  GOOD 

**I  simply  can't  stand  this  suspense.  I'm  going 
to  saddle  up  and  go  and  look  for  that  boy,  and 
I'd  be  mighty  obliged  to  any  boy  that  cares  to 
take  a  ride  with  me/' 

**I'm  a-going  'long  with  you,"  Slim  called 
out,  **for  I'm  mighty  anxious  meself,  an'  will 
feel  better  if  I  take  a  ride  'long  with  you,  Joe. ' ' 

The  boys  threw  aside  the  cards  and,  under 
Bill's  supervision,  a  systematic  search  was 
organized. 

** Better  go  in  two  pairs,  boys,"  Bill  advised, 
*'^for  it's  a  wicked  day,  and  a  couple  of  riders 
could  soon  be  separated.  And  be  very  careful 
of  your  direction." 

The  twenty  riders  separated  into  groups  of 
four,  and  gallantly  rode  out  into  the  fierce, 
blinding  storm  in  search  of  their  lost  compan- 
ion. It  seemed  to  be  a  hopeless  search  from 
the  beginning,  for  the  whirling  snowflakes  com- 
pelled them  to  ride  with  lowered  heads  and, 
when  only  a  few  yards  out,  the  ranch  buildings 
were  blotted  out  from  their  sight. 

**Well,  sirree,"  Slim  remarked  to  Jones  from 
the  depth  of  his  fur  collar,  *' unless  that  boy  has 
got  into  some  shelter  I'm  'fraid  he's  done  for 
by  now.  We've  only  bin  out  for  half  an  hour, 
an'  I  don't  mind  admittin'  that  I'm  purty  near 
all  in  meself." 


LOST  IN  A  BLIZZARD  165 

**You're  right,  Slim,"  Jones  repIieS,  **and 
much  as  I  hate  to  turn  back  I  can't  expect  you 
boys  to  go  on  any  farther.  We  can  only  hope 
that  some  of  the  others  have  found  him.'' 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  steer  a  straight 
course  for  home,  but  Slim,  who  rode  one  of  the 
oldest  cow  ponies  on  the  ranch,  led  the  way, 
wisely  giving  a  free  hand  to  his  pony.  With 
unerring  instinct  it  led  them  back  to  the  ranch, 
to  find  that  most  of  the  boys  had  already 
returned  but  without  any  news  of  Jack.  Though 
cold  and  exhausted,  they  refused  to  return  to 
the  bunk  house  until  the  last  rider  had  returned. 
Mr.  Mcintosh,  together  with  Joan  muffled  up 
in  a  fur  coat,  were  among  the  group  awaiting 
the  return  of  the  search  parties. 

'*I'm  afraid  we've  got  to  give  up  hope.  Bill," 
he  remarked,  as  the  last  party  of  four  returned. 

**I'm  afraid  so,  boss,  an'  I  can  tell  you  we 
are  all  mighty  sorry,  for  he  was  a  real  good 
boy  an'  popular  with  everybody." 

The  group  of  boys  stood  round  talking  and 
discussing  Jack's  disappearance.  Poor  Jones 
was  broken-hearted. 

*^You  know,  Slim,"  he  said,  ** something  told 
me  not  to  let  that  boy  go  after  that  bunch  of 
cattle;  but  you  know  what  he  was  like.  He'd 
never  be  satisfied  until  he  saw  there  was " 


166  MAKING  GOOD 

The  talking  ceased  abruptly,  while  every- 
body looked  up  with  strained  eyes;  for  stum- 
bling toward  them,  crusted  with  a  white  coating 
of  frozen  snow,  came  a  horse,  astride  of  which 
was  a  rider  with  eyes  closed  and  drawn  face, 
swaying  in  the  saddle  from  side  to  side. 

*'My  God!''  shouted  Jones,  ''it's  Jack!  it's 
Jack!"  and  ran  to  seize  the  pony,  which,  with 
the  snow  crusted  on  its  eyelashes,  could  scarcely 
see,  and  the  weary  way  it  dragged  its  legs 
showed  how  near  to  the  point  of  final  exhaus- 
tion it  was.  As  soon  as  hands  reached  out  to 
him  Jack  collapsed,  unconscious,  while  the  boys 
carried  him  toward  the  bunk  house. 

''Be  careful,  boys,  that  no  parts  of  him  are 
frozen  before  you  take  him  inside,"  advised 
Mr.  Mcintosh.  The  boys  drew  off  his  gloves  and 
found  both  hands  frozen,  so  they  quickly 
applied  snow  and  got  a  healthy  color  back  into 
them.  They  practically  undressed  him  outside, 
for  there  were  few  parts  of  his  body  not  touched 
by  frost.  They  then  carried  him  into  the  bunk 
house,  wrapped  him  in  blankets,  and  applied 
restoratives. 

In  the  meantime  his  pony  had  been  treated 
no  less  tenderly.    The  faithful  little  creature, 


LOST  IN  A  BLIZZARD  167 

when  at  last  it  found  that  its  master's  control 
had  gone,  had  set  itself  the  task  of  taking  him 
back  to  the  ranch  and  to  safety.  It  bore  no  ill 
will  toward  the  rider  who  had  set  aside  its  own 
sure  instinct  and  so  condemned  it  to  hours  of 
aimless  wandering  and  exposure;  but  had 
gladly  started  back,  dragging  along  its  stiff- 
ened, frozen  limbs  until  it  stumbled  through 
the  gate  and  found  ready  hands  waiting  to 
assist  it.  Strongest  and  most  faithful  of  man's 
many  animal  friends,  patiently  submitting  to  a 
control  that  is  frequently  foolish  and  often 
cruel,  it  is  difficult  to  speak  too  highly  of  the 
horse  or  to  lavish  upon  it  a  greater  affection 
than  it  deserves. 

After  recovering  consciousness  Jack,  in  spite 
of  the  pain  from  his  frostbites,  immediately 
fell  into  a  sound,  peaceful  sleep  that  lasted  for 
several  hours,  in  fact  until  the  middle  of  the 
following  day. 

Jones  came  to  him  as  soon  as  he  was  awake. 
*^Jack,"  he  said,  reaching  out  his  hand,  **I'm 
jolly  glad  to  see  you  lying  there  safe  an '  sound. 
I  was  sure  worried  to  death  about  you  yester- 
day, and  cursed  meself  in  proper  style  for  hav- 
ing allowed  you  to  go  off  after  them  cattle." 


168  MAKING  GOOD 

**Tliat  was  all  my  own  fault,  Joe/'  replied 
Jack,  **  though  I  never  dreamed  that  I  should 
have  lost  sight  of  you  so  soon.'' 

*^I  guess  you  had  a  pretty  rough  time  of  it, 
didn't  you?"  asked  Jones. 

**I  certainly  did,"  answered  Jack;  **just  sit 
down  on  the  side  of  the  bunk  there  and  I'll  tell 
you  all  about  it. 

*^  After  leaving  you  I  was  soon  alongside  of 
that  bunch  of  cattle,  but  I  could  scarcely  get 
them  moving,  and  all  the  time  the  storm  was 
getting  worse.  When  I  did  get  them  going  it 
was  impossible  to  see  more  than  a  few  yards, 
and,  of  course,  quite  impossible  to  see  anything 
of  you.  I  drove  the  cattle  ahead,  though  not 
very  quickly,  for  you  know  how  they  hate  to 
move."  Jones  nodded  his  agreement.  *^At 
first, ' '  continued  Jack,  *  *  I  thought  it  would  only 
be  a  matter  of  minutes  before  I  caught  up  with 
you,  so  did  not  worry  much.  Then,  after  I  had 
been  traveling  for  nearly  an  hour  I  began  to 
get  anxious,  so  I  left  the  cattle  and  went  in 
search  of  you.  I  rode  hard  at  first,  making  sure 
that  I  would  catch  up  with  you ;  then  I  decided 
to  make  for  the  ranch.  I  was  confident  it  would 
only  be  a  matter  of  minutes  before  I  hit  it. 
It  was  impossible  to  look  up,  even  if  I  could 


LOST  IN  A  BLIZZAED  169 

have  seen  any  distance.  At  first  I  was  sure  of 
my  direction,  though  the  pony  kept  pulling  off 
to  the  right,  and  so  I  rode  on  and  on,  hoping 
each  minute  to  see  the  ranch  buildings  loom  up 
in  front  of  me.  More  than  once  I  had  to  rub 
my  hands  with  snow  when  I  felt  all  sensation 
go  out  of  them,  and  often  my  face  was  frozen 
too.  It  took  hours  before  I  would  admit  to  my- 
self that  I  was  lost,  and  by  that  time  I  was  on 
the  verge  of  collapse.  Then  I  walked  for  what 
seemed  like  ages,  only  climbing  into  the  saddle 
when  too  tired  to  drag  along.  I  gradually  fell 
into  a  stupor,  with  an  overpowering  desire  to 
lie  down  and  sleep.  It  was  a  terrible  tempta- 
tion, and  it  needed  every  ounce  of  will  power  I 
had  to  fight  against  it.  At  last  there  came  a 
time  when  I  couldn't  drag  one  leg  past  another, 
and  I  remember  very  dimly  the  struggle  I  had 
to  climb  back  into  the  saddle.  I  was  past  the 
stage  of  caring  whether  I  was  frozen  or  not. 
I  couldn't  grip  the  lines,  and  barely  managed 
to  hold  on  to  them. 

**The  rest  is  almost  all  a  blank  to  me.  Occa- 
sionally I  just  saved  myself  from  falling  out 
of  the  saddle,  and  these  were  really  the  only 
moments  I  had  of  consciousness.  I  was  terribly 
drowsy  and  strangely  warm,  though  I  suppose 


170  MAKING  GOOD 

that  was  because  I  had  got  beyond  feeling  the 
cold.  Then  I  heard  sounds  of  shouting,  but  it 
all  sounded  so  far  away.  I  must  have  collapsed 
then,  for  the  next  thing  I  remembered  was  that 
I  was  lying  in  my  bunk,  with  stinging  pains  in 
nearly  every  part  of  my  body.  By  the  way,  Joe, 
they  are  still  there,  too.'' 

As  Jack  concluded  his  story  Mr.  Mcintosh 
walked  into  the  bunk  house. 

**Well,  how's  Young  to-day?"  he  called  out, 
and  after  Jack  had  replied  he  continued,  **Mrs. 
Mcintosh  has  sent  down  for  you.  Young,  and 
insists  that  some  of  the  boys  shall  carry  you 
over.  She's  got  a  bedroom  fixed  up  all  snug  for 
you,  and  you've  simply  got  to  go." 

Jack  was  only  too  pleased,  so  they  carried 
him  over  to  the  ranch  house,  and  for  the  second 
time  Jack  became  an  inmate,  enjoying  all  the 
comforts  and  attention  that  Mrs.  Mcintosh 
could  lavish  upon  him.  And  in  this  she  was  well 
supported  by  Joan,  so  that  in  a  very  short  time 
Jack  forgot  the  harrowing  experiences  he  had 
passed  through  when  lost  in  the  blizzard. 


CHAPTER  Xr 

THE   RUNAWAYS 

THE  period  of  Jack^s  convalescence,  a 
delightfully  pleasant  and  happy  time  to 
him,  only  lasted  for  two  weeks.  The  most  dis- 
tressing thing  was  the  frostbites,  for  few  parts  of 
his  body  had  escaped.  His  friendship  with  Joan 
rapidly  developed.  She  related  for  his  enjoy- 
ment stories  that  had  been  handed  down  from 
her  grandfather's  days  when  the  West  was  the 
land  of  the  strong  man  and  only  the  fittest  sur- 
vived— of  the  days  when  eacli  man  was  a  law 
to  himself,  and  justice  could  only  be  obtained 
by  his  own  hand.  Most  romantic  of  all  were  the 
tales  of  the  coming  of  those  picturesque  figures 
which  compelled  respect  for  law  and  order 
wherever  they  went — the  Northwest  Mounted 
Police.  The  fearless,  impartial  way  they  had 
carried  out  their  duties  in  the  face  of  the  organ- 
ized opposition  made  a  thrilling  and  heroic 
story. 

The   few   days   following   the   blizzard   had 
involved  a  lot  of  hard  work  for  the  boys  at  the 

171 


172  MAKING  GOOD 

Q.  Z.,  for  it  had  been  followed  by  a  period  of 
intense  cold,  which  had  necessitated  the  feed- 
ing of  hundreds  of  head  of  cattle.  Those  ranch- 
ers who  had  neglected  the  precautions  taken 
by  Mr.  Mcintosh  had  suffered  heavily,  for  hun- 
dreds of  cattle  had  perished  in  the  blizzard  and 
during  the  bitter  weather  that  had  followed. 

Although  it  was  still  very  cold  when  Jack 
returned  to  his  duties,  the  weather  was  fine 
enough  to  permit  of  the  large  majority  of  the 
cattle  being  turned  out  to  graze,  only  the  young 
stock  being  kept  in  the  corrals  and  fed.  One  of 
the  first  jobs  Jack  was  detailed  off  for  was 
the  cutting  of  ice  for  use  during  the  summer 
months,  and  in  this  he  had  as  his  companion  the 
rancher's  nephew,  Chris.  The  relationship 
between  them  was  not  one  of  extreme  cordiality, 
though  there  was  no  sign  of  that  open  hostility 
on  the  part  of  Chris  that  had  characterized  his 
attitude  toward  Jack  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  stay  on  the  Q.  Z.  ranch. 

Jack  was  too  good-natured  to  harbor  any  ill 
feelings  toward  Chris,  for,  after  all,  he  remem- 
bered that  Chris  was  the  nephew  of  the  man 
who  had  been  such  a  kind  and  genuine  friend 
to  him.  Though  Chris  was  surly  and  showed  his 
ill  temper  on  the  slightest  occasion,  the  days 


THE  EUNAWAYS  173 

were  by  no  means  unhappy  ones  for  Jack.  Cut- 
ting ice  was  good,  healthy  exercise,  and  Jack 
marveled  at  the  thickness  of  it,  varying  from 
two  to  four  feet.  The  greatest  difficulty  was  in 
cutting  out  the  first  block,  after  which  the  work 
was  fairly  straightforward,  the  only  difficulty 
being  in  dragging  out  the  blocks  after  they  had 
been  cut.  This  work  took  up  their  time  for  over 
a  week. 

*'Well,  boys,''  remarked  Mr.  Mcintosh,  at 
the  end  of  this  period,  *^I  think  we've  got  about 
enough  in  now  to  last  us  through  the  summer. 
The  next  thing  you'd  better  do,  Chris,  is  to 
gather  up  some  of  those  old  trees  that  came 
down  on  the  flood  last  spring.  The  frost  will 
be  breaking  pretty  soon,  and  when  that  hap- 
pens we'll  all  be  too  busy  to  pay  much  attention 
to  these  little  things.  Better  take  the  wagon 
box  off  and  take  a  couple  of  teams  with  you. 
By  the  way,  what  about  hitching  up  that  nice 
little  mare  we  broke  in  last  fall?  She's  never 
been  hitched  up  yet,  so  if  you  put  her  in  along 
with  some  steady  horses  it'll  do  her  good." 

-So  it  was  decided  that  the  next  job  Chris  and 
Jack  should  do  together  would  be  to  gather  up 
some  old  trees  for  firewood. 

**Well,  Jack,"  remarked  Jones  that  night. 


174  MAKING  GOOD 

*'how  are  you  getting  on  with  Chris?  Any  more 
set-to 's?'' 

**0h,  no,"  replied  Jack,  **we  say  little  and 
work  a  lot." 

**I  suppose  you  Ve  finished  gettin'  up  ice,  and 
you're  comin'  back  along  of  us  now?" 

**No;  Mr.  Mcintosh  has  given  us  another 
job — gathering  up  logs  for  firewood  from  the 
river  bottom.  We're  taking  a  couple  of  teams 
and  going  down  there  in  the  morning." 

Since  the  time  of  the  blizzard  and  with  the 
near  approach  of  spring,  popularity  in  ice 
hockey  had  been  on  the  wane,  and  poker  was  the 
popular  pastime. 

**Not  playing  cards  to-night,  Joe?"  queried 
Jack. 

*  ^  Now,  why  should  you  be  askin '  that  of  me, 
Jack?  Don't  you  know  that  I've  never  touched 
a  card  since  we  left  the  Jersey?  Have  no  time 
for  the  game  now.  You  don't  know  how  much 
I  hated  spongin'  on  you  after  we  left  the  Jersey, 
and  I  swore  that  I'd  never  touch  the  cards 
again;  and  mighty  glad  I've  been  of  it,  too. 
For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  've  got  a  nice  little 
balance  at  the  bank,  and  it's  surprising  the 
amount  of  pleasure  I  get  from  just  watchin'  it 
grow.  I've  got  ambitions  now,  Jack,  and  if  you 


THE  RUNAWAYS  175 

don't  mind  me  becoming  confidin'  like,  I'll  tell 
you  what  they  are. ' ' 

**Not  a  bit,  Joe/'  replied  Jack,  **as  Slim 
would  say,  *  shoot.'  " 

**Well,  I'm  hopin'  some  day  that  you  and  I 
will  be  able  to  start  up  a  partnership  and  have 
a  ranch  of  our  own — the  J.  J.  ranch.  What's 
your  idea  about  it.  Jack?" 

'^Splendid,  Joe,  splendid!"  replied  Jack. 
''Rather  funny,  too,  for  that's  right  in  line 
with  my  own  ambitions,  and  that  five  hundred 
dollars  I  was  lucky  enough  to  get  has  made 
my  bank  balance  look  nice  and  respectable, 
too." 

''I'm  pleased  to  hear  you  say  that.  Jack;  and 
now  I've  got  an  idea  that  might  help  us  along. 
I  suppose  you've  been  reading  in  the  papers 
about  the  big  Stampede  they're  organizing  for 
the  fall  to  take  place  in  Calgary?  One  of  them 
prizes  is  five  thousand  dollars  for  the  best  dis- 
play of  'bull-doggin'.'  Now,  without  wanting  to 
boast,  I  consider  I  'm  no  slouch  in  that  line,  and 
when  the  Stampede  comes  off  I'll  be  right  in 
the  line  to  take  my  chance." 

"And  I'll  bet  you  win  it,  Joe,"  said  Jack 
enthusiastically. 

"Oh,  I'm  not  going  to  be  too  sure  about  that, 


176  MAKING  GOOD 

Jack,"  continued  Jones,  *'but  I'll  have  a  good 
try.'' 

*^Yes,  and  I  see  there  are  prizes  both  for 
bronchobusting  and  roping,  and  I  don 't  see  why 
I  shouldn't  be  one  of  the  competitors  if  I  put 
in  plenty  of  practice." 

*^Well,  seeing  the  way  you  catch  on  to  things, 
I  shouldn't  be  the  least  bit  surprised  if  you 
don't  pull  off  one  or  both  of  them." 

The  following  morning  Jack  and  Chris  were 
up  early  and  started  off  to  gather  up  logs. 
There  were  few  good  trails  leading  to  the  river 
bottom,  and  even  the  best  of  them  were  very 
steep  and  difficult  to  negotiate.  After  they  got 
down  they  found  they  had  to  go  some  distance 
before  they  came  to  anything  suitable.  The 
little  mare  behaved  fairly  well,  though  more 
than  once  she  was  difficult  to  control.  She  was, 
however,  hitched  up  with  a  fairly  steady, 
though  by  no  means  docile,  gelding,  and  as  both 
boys  knew  thoroughly  how  to  handle  them,  she 
was  kept  in  hand. 

They  had  gone  along  the  river  bottom  for 
over  a  mile  before  they  had  gathered  a  load. 
This  done,  they  roped  the  logs  together, 
unhitched  the  horses  and  gave  them  a  feed,  and 
also  ate  the  lunch  they  had  brought  with  them. 


THE  RUNAWAYS  177 

*' Guess  it's  too  far  to  go  back  to  the  main 
trail,  Young/'  remarked  Chris.  ^*I  see  a  bit 
of  a  trail  leading  up  that  hog's-back  there; 
think  we  'd  save  time  by  trying  it. ' ' 

'^Yes,  I  think  we  could  try  it/'  Jack  replied, 
^Hhough  it  looks  something  like  the  side  of  a 
house  from  here." 

The  trail,  barely  distinguishable,  was  very 
narrow,  and  looking  at  it  from  a  distance  it 
seemed  almost  impossible  to  drive  horses  and 
a  wagon  along  it,  particularly  the  first  fifty 
yards.  As  it  approached  the  top  leading  on  to 
the  prairie  it  still  remained  narrow,  though  less 
steep ;  but  on  each  side,  should  the  wagon  sway 
and  slip,  there  was  a  sheer  drop  of  a  hundred 
feet  or  more. 

As  soon  as  the  horses  were  finished  feeding 
they  hitched  them  up  again  and  prepared  to 
move. 

**Here,  Young,"  said  Chris,  **you  take  these 
lines  for  the  horses  in  the  shafts,  and  I'll  drive 
the  leaders.  You  may  be  handier  than  I  am  with 
your  fists,  but  I  guess  I  know  more  about  driv- 
ing horses." 

**0h,  I  wouldn't  be  so  sure  about  that," 
replied  Jack,  **for  if  I  remember  right,  I  think 
you  made  the  same  mistake  before." 


178  MAKING  GOOD 

**01i,  well,  we  won't  argue,"  replied  Chris  in 
a  surly  tone;  **we'll  take  the  first  fifty  yards 
on  the  gallop,  and  keep  them  hustling  until  we 
get  to  the  top/' 

They  arranged  seats  for  themselves  on  the 
logs,  which  were  piled  up  fairly  high,  and  then 
moved  off.  As  they  approached  the  trail  they 
roused  the  horses,  and  started  the  ascent  at  a 
gallop.  It  was  a  thrilling  struggle  to  get  over 
that  first  fifty  yards,  and  at  one  time  it  seemed 
as  if  the  horses  were  to  be  beaten.  They  were 
almost  at  a  standstill  before  they  negotiated 
this  dangerous  and  difficult  part.  The  two  boys 
urged  them  on,  Chris  working  himself  up  into 
a  frenzy  of  excitement,  not  unmixed  with  fear. 
It  soon  became  apparent  to  Jack  that  they 
would  have  their  hands  full  before  they  reached 
the  top.  To  have  allowed  the  horses  to  stop 
would  have  been  fatal,  and  as  they  plunged 
madly  ahead  the  loaded  timbers  swayed  dan- 
gerously. The  excitement  finally  proved  too 
much  for  the  little  mare,  and  it  soon  became 
apparent  that  she  was  out  of  control. 

Jack  was  quick  to  see  that  it  now  depended 
upon  the  leaders,  for  they  were  the  stronger 
team.  At  the  same  time,  he  exerted  all  his 
strength  in  an  effort  to  bring  the  mare  under 


THE  EUNAWAYS  179 

control  again,  and  just  as  it  appeared  that  he 
was  about  to  succeed,  the  gelding,  an  erratic 
brute  at  any  time,  became  affected  by  the  antics 
of  his  companion  and  took  the  bit  between  his 
teeth.  They  were  now  only  a  few  yards  from 
the  top  and,  desperate  as  the  situation  was. 
Jack  was  hopeful  that,  once  out  on  the  prairie 
for  a  straight  run,  he  could  get  them  back  under 
control  again.  At  the  same  time  he  realized  the 
peril  they  were  in,  for  the  two  horses,  blinded 
by  fear,  would  have  swerved  but  for  the  leaders 
ahead,  and  a  foot  one  way  or  the  other  meant 
a  sheer  drop  to  a  certain  death.  Up  to  this  time 
Chris,  fully  occupied  with  the  leaders,  had  not 
seen  what  was  happening,  but  the  frantic 
efforts  of  the  two  horses  hitched  to  the  wagon 
quickly  called  his  attention  to  the  fact  that 
they  were  out  of  control.  Jack  caught  the 
motion  of  his  head. 

*'Yes,  yes,  I  know,"  he  called  out  desper- 
ately; ** don't  mind  them — ^keep  the  leaders 
going." 

But  Chris,  becoming  frantic  from  fear,  fool- 
ishly dropped  the  lines  of  the  leaders  and 
grabbed  the  others  from  Jack.  Then  the  lead- 
ers, steady  and  reliable  up  to  this  period,  feel- 
ing the  control  over  them  gone  and  spurred  on 


180  MAKING  GOOD 

into  fear  by  the  runaways  behind,  dashed 
wildly  ahead. 

The  wagon  for  a  moment  trembled  on  the 
very  edge  of  a  precipice ;  it  seemed  that  nothing 
could  save  them,  and  Jack  had  given  up  hope, 
when  a  sudden  jerk  dragged  them  clear  and  out 
on  to  the  prairie. 

Full  of  peril  as  the  situation  was,  there  was 
still  a  hope  left  that  the  two  teams  might  run 
themselves  out,  when  Chris,  who  had  taken  the 
lines  from  Jack,  threw  them  wildly  to  one  side 
and  jumped  clear  of  the  load  of  logs. 

The  leaders,  fairly  steady  at  ordinary  times, 
were  blind  through  fear,  and  to  Jack's  horror 
they  swung  round  and  headed  straight  for  the 
coolies. 

Unless  something  miraculous  happened  it 
would  all  be  over  in  a  few  seconds.  The  only 
thing  now  for  him  to  do  was  to  jump  clear.  He 
made  the  attempt,  but — his  foot  was  caught  in 
the  logs!  The  wild  movements  of  the  horses 
and  the  sudden  jerks  had  disturbed  the  logs, 
and  it  was  only  when  he  attempted  to  jump 
that  Jack  realized  that  one  of  his  feet  was 
wedged. 

He  was  trapped,  and  a  few  seconds  would 
decide  his  fate.  The  leaders  had  almost  reached 


THE  EUNAWAYS  181 

the  edge  of  the  coolie,  when  Jack  gave  one  final 
despairing  tug  to  free  his  foot;  it  came  clean 
ont  of  his  boot! 

He  had  no  time  to  jump,  so  threw  himself 
sideways  off  the  logs.  Before  he  had  time  to 
scramble  to  his  feet  he  heard  a  deafening  crash, 
and  looked  up  just  in  time  to  see  the  wagon  and 
logs  turn  end  over  end  and  fall  with  a  sicken- 
ing crash  on  the  two  horses  hitched  to  it.  The 
wagon  pole  had  dropped  and  had  stuck  into  the 
ground,  and  in  a  twinkling  the  wagon  and  logs 
had  turned  over  to  fall  on  the  two  poor  brutes 
underneath.  This  stopped  the  leaders,  who  now 
stood  trembling  on  the  brink  of  a  steep  coolie. 

Just  as  Jack  was  getting  up  Chris  came 
along.  **I  thought  you  were  done  for  that  time, 
Young;  but  why  didn't  you  jumpT' 

'^I  couldn't — ^my  foot  was  caught,"  replied 
Jack  angrily.  **You  see  the  mess  you've  made 
by  losing  your  head.  Looks  to  me  as  though 
there  are  two  dead  horses  under  those  logs." 

**Well,  what  about  it?"  growled  out  Chris, 
who  knew  only  too  well  that  he  had  played  any- 
thing but  a  heroic  part  in  the  episode,  and 
resented  Jack's  perfectly  justifiable  comments; 
** there  are  plenty  more  horses,  and  I'm  quite 
satisfied  to  have  saved  my  own  skin." 


182  MAKING  GOOD 

''Oh,  well,  it's  no  use  arguing  about  it  now," 
replied  Jack,  ^^but  you're  in  charge,  so  what 
d'you  propose  doing  nextT' 

''Unhitch  the  leaders,  of  course;  then  see 
what  we  can  do  to  get  at  the  other  two  horses.'' 

"Don't  you  think  it  just  as  well  to  leave 
the  leaders  where  they  are?"  queried  Jack. 
"Seems  to  me  that  the  wagon  and  logs  are 
dangerously  near  to  the  edge  of  the  coolie. 
They  can  always  hold  it  from  slipping  over 
until  we  can  move  some  of  the  logs  and  see 
what  can  be  done  for  the  poor  brutes  under- 
neath." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,  it  can't  slip  now," 
replied  Chris. 

"As  you  say,  then;  if  it  does  slip  it's  your 
funeral,  not  mine,"  answered  Jack,  with  a 
shrug. 

They  swung  the  two  leaders  round  and  pro- 
ceeded to  unhitch  them.  Three  of  the  traces 
had  been  taken  off,  and  Jack  was  busy  unhitch- 
ing the  fourth  and  last  when  it  suddenly  tight- 
ened. Very  slowly,  but  unmistakably,  the 
horses  and  wagon  were  slipping  over  the  edge 
of  the  coolie ! 

"Look  out!"  yelled  Jack,  "they're  going 
over."    The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his 


THE  RUNAWAYS  183 

mouth  when  the  thing  he  had  feared  and 
warned  Chris  about  had  happened.  It  was  a 
sickening  and  fearful  sight,  and  very  distress- 
ing to  one  who  loved  horses  as  passionately  as 
did  Jack.  Horses,  wagon,  and  logs  turned  over 
and  over  as  they  rolled  down  the  side  of  the 
steep  bank,  while  the  big  horse,  which  was 
attached  by  one  trace,  slid  down  on  its  haunches, 
looking  for  all  the  world  like  a  big  dog. 

*^Well,  that^s  done  it,''  said  Jack,  **and  it 
fairly  breaks  my  heart  to  see  those  poor  brutes 
of  horses." 

** What's  the  good  of  getting  sentimental 
about  horses,  Young?  There's  enough  of  them 
on  the  Q.  Z.  to  take  the  place  of  those  two." 

*/Well,  you  may  feel  that  way  about  it,  but  I 
hate  to  look  on,  for  we're  partly  to  blame  for 
this." 

Fortunately  the  wagon  and  horses  rolled  into 
a  strong,  thick  clump  of  bushes  when  they  had 
got  about  halfway  down  the  side  of  the  coolie. 
Jack  immediately  slid  down  (it  was  too  steep 
for  walking)  and  unhitched  the  horse  which 
was  clear  of  the  wreckage.  Underneath  the 
wagon  and  logs  lay  the  other  two  horses 
groaning  in  pain. 

**Come    on.    Young,"    shouted    Chris    from 


184  MAKING  GOOD 

above,  ** let's  be  getting  back  to  the  ranch.  We 
can't  do  any  good  here  now.  I'll  get  the  old 
man  to  send  some  of  the  boys  along  to  clear 
up  this  mess." 

'*If  you'll  come  down,"  replied  Jack,  ^*I 
think  we  can  get  one  of  the  horses  clear." 

**0h,  I'm  not  coming;  been  mixed  up  in  this 
mess  long  enough  now,"  answered  Chris. 

So  Jack,  unable  to  do  anything  single-handed, 
puzzled  over  the  best  way  to  get  the  horse, 
which  had  been  dragged  down,  and  which  he 
had  succeeded  in  finally  unhitching,  up  out  of 
the  coolie.  Fortunately,  horses  are  much  surer- 
footed  than  men,  and  not  only  did  it  scramble 
up  itself,  but  it  also  dragged  Jack  up  along 
with  it. 

When  Jack  reached  the  top  Chris  was  already 
some  distance  away,  riding  back  to  the  ranch 
on  the  only  horse  that  had  been  freed  before  the 
overturned  wagon  had  slipped  over  the  edge. 

Now  Jack  was  without  a  boot  on  one  foot, 
and  it  was  a  cold  day,  with  the  thermometer 
several  degrees  below  zero;  and  as  the  excite- 
ment subsided,  he  began  to  realize  that  his  foot 
was  getting  very  cold.  It  had  not  entirely 
escaped  the  frost  on  the  day  he  had  been  lost 
in  the  blizzard,  and  so  was  still  very  sensitive. 


THE  EUNAWAYS  185 

He  wound  his  handkerchief  round  it,  and  then 
climbed  up  on  to  the  horse  and  followed  after 
Chris. 

When  Jack  arrived  back  at  the  ranch  he 
found  Chris  already  giving  details  of  the 
accident. 

**I  did  everything  I  could  to  stop  them, 
uncle,''  he  was  saying,  **but  that  kid  Young 
was  absolutely  to  blame.  He  allowed  them  to 
get  out  of  control,  and  then  sat  in  the  wagon 
frozen  with  fear  until  the  whole  thing  nearly 
turned  over  on  top  of  him.'' 

**0h,  well,  Chris,  we  won't  go  into  that.  Per- 
sonally, I  think  Young  is  a  very  steady,  reli- 
able boy  and  not  easily  rattled,"  replied  Mr. 
Mcintosh.  **I'll  send  some  of  the  boys  over  to 
see  what  can  be  done. 

*^Well,  Young,"  he  called  out  to  Jack,  **been 
mixed  up  in  more  accidents?  Hope  you're  no 
worse  for  it." 

**No,  I'm  all  right,  sir;  I  only  lost  a  boot," 
answered  Jack. 

**How  did  that  happen?" 

**My  foot  got  wedged  in  the  logs  and  I 
couldn't  get  it  out.  Finally  my  foot  came  out 
of  the  boot,  and  so  I  was  able  to  roll  clear 
before  the  wagon  overturned." 


186  MAKING  GOOD 

*^0h,  I  see;  so  that's  how  it  was/'  remarked 
Mr.  Mcintosh,  glancing  signijficantly  at  Chris. 
**We  needn't  worry  over  the  horses,  but  I'm 
mighty  glad  to  see  that  you  two  boys  came  out 
of  it  all  right." 

A  party  of  the  boys  rode  over  to  the  scene  of 
the  accident  and  proceeded  to  extricate  the 
horses.  One  of  them  was  a  little  bruised,  but 
otherwise  all  right.  The  other  was  so  badly 
injured  that  it  had  to  be  shot  where  it  lay. 
Jack's  boot,  in  perfectly  good  condition,  was 
found  among  the  wreckage,  and  Jones,  who 
was  one  of  the  party,  brought  it  back  with  him. 

**Say,  Jack,"  he  remarked,  **how  did  you 
contrive  to  get  those  horses  and  that  wagon 
and  logs  into  that  place?" 

So  Jack  gave  him  a  detailed  account  of  the 
events  leading  up  to  the  accident,  together  with 
the  conversation  he  had  overheard  passing 
between  Mr.  Mcintosh  and  Chris. 

^* Don't  you  worry  about  that.  Jack;  you 
know  pretty  well  that  that  boy  has  no  use  for 
you,  and  after  the  way  you  put  him  out  I'm 
not  surprised.  If  any  one  had  hit  me  as  hard 
as  you  hit  him  I'm  calculatin'  that  I  wouldn't 
feel  80  powerful  friendly  toward  him." 

**Yes,  but  he  asked  for  it,"  argued  Jack. 


THE  EUNAWAYS  187 

**Well,  he  can  never  complain  that  he  didn't 
get  what  he  asked  for/'  replied  Jones. 

The  next  day  Chris  and  Jack  took  another 
wagon  and  other  horses  and,  avoiding  the  peril- 
ous rente  they  had  followed  the  previous  day, 
they  brought  back  a  load  of  logs.  They  con- 
tinued working  at  this  until  sufficient  had  been 
collected.  The  winter  now  showed  signs  of 
breaking  up,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  boys 
joyfully  threw  away  their  fur  caps  for  the  more 
picturesque  and  comfortable  Stetsons.  All  was 
bustle  and  movement  on  the  ranch,  and  the  cat- 
tle were  given  greater  freedom  to  roam.  Jack 
was  soon  to  enjoy  the  excitement  and  thrills  of 
breaking  in  bronchos,  an  experience  to  which 
he  eagerly  looked  forward. 


CHAPTER  Xn 

THE  OUTLAW  BRONCHO 

THE  return  of  spring  was  tlie  signal  for 
increased  activity  on  the  Q.  Z.  ranch,  and 
Jack  fully  participated  in  this.  He  had  now 
been  a  cow-puncher  for  over  a  year,  but  his 
inexperience  in  the  early  part  of  the  previous 
spring  had  prevented  him  from  taking  his  part 
in  the  branding  of  the  young  stock  and  in  the 
breaking  in  of  bronchos.  He  had  watched  with 
envy  as  the  skilled  riders  and  ropers  did  their 
work,  and  had  assisted  occasionally  in  some  of 
the  minor  duties. 

The  summer  had  almost  ended  before  he  had 
developed  that  skill  with  the  rope  that  had 
enabled  him  to  play  so  successful  a  part  in  the 
capture  of  the  cattle  rustlers.  His  mastery  over 
the  half -wild  bronchos  had  never  yet  been  fully 
tested.  It  is  true  that  he  had  ridden  some  of 
the  fiercest  and  wildest  horses  on  the  ranch, 
but  only  after  they  had  been  broken.  As  he 
remarked  to  Jones,  he  had  never  tackled  them 
raw. 

188 


THE  OUTLAW  BRONCHO  189 

This  was  an  experience  he  eagerly  looked  for- 
ward to,  and  he  fervently  hoped  that  he  wonld 
be  given  a  chance  to  test  his  abilities.  Though 
fully  realizing  the  severity  of  the  test  he  might 
be  subjected  to,  he  had  great  confidence  in  the 
result. 

He  had  also  received  a  promise  from  Jones 
that  he  would  instruct  him  in  the  dangerous  and 
difficult  art  of  *^ bull-dogging,''  in  which  Jones 
was  amazingly  expert  and  efficient. 

The  spring  was  well  advanced  before  they 
ran  in  the  first  batch  of  young  cattle  for  brand- 
ing, and  Jack  was  immensely  pleased  when  Bill 
detailed  him  off  as  one  of  the  two  riders  to  do 
the  roping.  No  one  could  have  done  it  more  effi- 
ciently and  skillfully  than  he  did. 

The  young  steer,  or  whatever  it  happened  to 
be,  was  roped  from  opposite  directions,  so  that 
as  soon  as  he  was  thrown,  the  ropes  were  tight- 
ened and  the  steer  lay  helpless.  A  red-hot  iron, 
shaped  with  a  Q  and  a  Z,  was  then  pressed  into 
its  hide.  In  this  way  the  ownership  of  the  ani- 
mal was  definitely  and  legally  claimed,  and  it 
belonged  to  Mr.  Mcintosh  until  he  disposed  of 
it.  Any  one  found  in  possession  of  an  animal 
bearing  this  brand  was  obliged,  when  called 
upon,  to  produce  documents  showing  that  it  had 


190  MAKING  GOOD 

come  into  his  possession  in  a  legal  and  proper 
manner,  failing  which,  he  could  be  convicted  of 
theft.  And  so  it  was  that  the  wise  rancher  was 
always  careful  to  *^cut  out'*  any  strangers  when 
he  was  driving  a  bunch  of  his  cattle  or  horses 
into  an  inclosure. 

The  necessity  for  this  branding,  cruel  as  it 
might  appear  to  be,  will  be  readily  appreciated. 
It  was  impossible  for  a  rancher  who  owned 
thousands  of  head  of  cattle  and  horses  to  pre- 
vent them  from  straying,  and,  of  course,  he 
could  not  claim  them  on  the  score  of  recogni- 
tion. It  was  by  no  means  an  easy  job  that  Jack 
had,  but  he  simply  reveled  in  his  work. 

Later  on  the  young  horses  were  run  in  for  the 
same  purpose,  and  these  made  a  much  greater 
demand  upon  the  skill  and  ability  of  the 
'*  ropers. '*  They  moved  with  lightning-like 
swiftness,  and  it  needed  rapid  thinking  and 
sound  judgment  to  get  the  rope  over  them. 

It  was  a  wonderful  experience  for  Jack,  and 
he  fairly  excelled  himself;  but  his  cup  of  joy 
was  brimming  over  when  Bill,  practiced  cow- 
puncher  that  he  was,  said,  **Boy,  you're  sure  a 
wonder  at  handlin'  the  rope,  and  I'll  back  you 
against  any  one  in  these  parts.  Ropin'  seems 
to  be  a  natural  gift  with  you,  an'  I  believe  you 


THE  OUTLAW  BRONCHO  191 

could  slip  it  over  a  streak  of  lightnin'  if  you 
tried.'' 

After  the  branding  was  finished  the  atten- 
tion of  the  boys  was  turned  to  the  exciting  and 
dangerous  work  of  breaking  in  bronchos,  and 
it  was  now  Jack's  turn  to  play  more  or  less 
the  part  of  looker-on.  It  gave  Chris  an  oppor- 
tunity to  display  his  skill,  and  he  took  the  fullest 
possible  advantage  of  it.  He  successfully 
tackled  many  vicious  brutes,  and  was  never  back- 
ward in  giving  himself  praise  for  some  won- 
derful work  he  did;  so  much  so  that  Jones,  who 
rarely  commented  on  any  one,  was  constrained 
to  remark  to  Jack: 

'^That  boy  is  sure  some  rider,  but  don't  he 
know  it?  He  thinks  there's  nothing  standing 
on  four  legs  that  he  can't  master,  but  he  makes 
a  mistake  there,  an'  sure  as  fate  he's  going  to 
be  disconnected  from  the  saddle,  and  the  sooner 
the  better,  both  for  himself  an'  the  rest  of  us." 
And  in  saying  this  Jones  expressed  the  thoughts 
and  wishes  of  all  the  boys  on  the  ranch. 

But  Chris  was  by  no  means  the  only  one  who 
could  successfully  tackle  vicious  bronchos,  for 
Slim  showed  just  as  much  ability  and  did  his 
work  so  imperturbably  that  no  one  envied  him 
his  reputation.    Slim  had  known  what  it  was, 


192  MAKING  GOOD 

as  Jones  had  expressed  it,  to  be  ^'disconnected 
from  the  saddle,-'  and,  though  such  an  event 
rarely  occurred,  Slim  knew  that  every  once  in 
a  while  **a  real  Indian '^  came  along,  and  then, 
said  he,  *'I  quif 

The  work  was  by  no  means  confined  to  one 
or  two  riders,  for  all  the  boys  took  their  turn 
at  it.  Jack  with  the  rest.  Jack  was  lucky  in  his 
first  essays  at  bronchobusting  for,  though  the 
horses  were  wild  enough,  they  were  not  vicious 
and  he  gradually  gained  a  knowledge  of  their 
favorite  tricks.  Allied  to  his  wildness,  the  bron- 
cho has,  if  it  can  be  so  described,  a  very  nimble 
wit.  You  can  watch  the  changing  expression 
in  his  eyes  as  he  finds  himself  bafiled ;  sometimes 
it  is  surprise  at  the  non-success  of  his  antics, 
sometimes  blazing  fury  at  being  worsted,  and 
sometimes  cunning  as  he  thinks  out  new  moves. 
He  keeps  the  rider  keyed  up  to  the  highest 
pitch,  for  it  is  a  battle  of  wits,  and  the  rider 
who  fails  to  concentrate  all  his  intelligence  and 
energies  on  the  task  in  hand  frequently  finds 
himself  rolling  in  the  dust. 

Jack's  intelligence  and  enthusiasm  for  his 
job  were  great  assets  to  him,  and  he  came  out 
of  his  duels  with  credit.    A  success  for  the 


THE  OUTLAW  BRONCHO  193 

broncho  was  a  dangerous  thing,  for  he  gained 
confidence  and  increased  his  cunning. 

One  day  a  beautifully  built,  clean-limbed  sor- 
rel or  chestnut  gelding  was  run  into  the  corral. 
The  way  he  rolled  his  eyes  as  he  stood  in  the 
center  of  the  corral  was  a  warning  to  the  boys 
handling  him  that  here  was  something  unusual 
to  tackle.  He  was  roped,  thrown,  and  saddled 
in  a  very  short  time,  and  then  one  of  the  boys 
jumped  nimbly  into  the  saddle  as  he  struggled 
to  his  feet.  At  first  he  stood  perfectly  still, 
unheeding  all  persuasions  to  get  him  to  move. 
The  uncertainty  of  knowing  just  what  trick  he 
intended  to  play  first  is  a  very  disturbing  and 
unsatisfactory  experience  for  the  rider;  it 
**  keeps  him  guessing. '^  He  prepares  himself  for 
one  thing,  and  invariably  the  horse  does  some- 
thing entirely  different,  and  unless  the  rider  can 
quickly  pull  himself  together  and  counter  this 
move,  the  broncho  is  victorious.  The  rider  pre- 
fers even  a  hurricane  duel  to  this  suspense  of 
waiting  for  an  animal  to  *^lay  his  cards  on  the 
table,''  as  Slim  expressed  it. 

Now  this  particular  broncho  only  showed  a 
**card''  at  a  time,  and  that  only  at  long  inter- 
vals. He  remained  perfectly  still  for  from  two 


194  MAKING  GOOD 

to  three  minutes,  and  when  he  did  move  it 
seemed  that  he  had  been  gathering  together  all 
his  energies  to  throw  them  into  one  supreme 
effort.  He  made  a  wild  leap  into  the  air,  came 
down  on  his  front  feet,  shot  out  his  hind  legs 
with  tremendous  force,  and  then  looked  calmly 
down  at  his  opponent  rolling  in  the  dust. 

Now,  ordinarily,  the  experienced  cow-puncher 
would  laugh  at  such  a  trick  to  dislodge  him; 
but  the  unexpectedness  of  it,  together  with  the 
concentrated  energy  thrown  into  it,  would  have 
unseated  most  riders. 

* '  Holy  mackinaw !  * '  remarked  the  man,  as  he 
scrambled  to  his  feet,  **but  that  animal  is  some 
kicker;  if  you  tied  me  on  with  ropes,  he'd  bust 
the  ropes  an '  get  me  off  just  the  same. ' ' 

When  once  a  broncho  had  thrown  a  rider  he 
was  turned  over  to  another  who  was  more 
experienced  and  capable,  so  Slim  was  deputed 
to  tackle  him.  He  was  again  roped  and  thrown, 
and  when  he  struggled  to  his  feet  Slim  was  in 
the  saddle.  Again  he  stood  perfectly  still ;  then 
after  a  time  he  tried,  by  the  same  method,  to 
repeat  his  former  success,  but  only  succeeded  in 
dislodging  Slim's  hat.  The  look  of  surprise  in 
his  eyes  was  quickly  followed  by  another  of 
fury  and  then  of  cunning.    There  was  a  long 


THE  OUTLAW  BRONCHO  195 

pause  before  the  next  move  was  attempted; 
then  he  deliberately  rolled  over  sideways !  Slim 
nimbly  slipped  out  of  the  saddle  in  time  to  avoid 
being  crushed,  and  was  back  into  it  again  when 
the  broncho  regained  his  feet.  Then  again  those 
changing  expressions  and  that  deliberate  pause. 
His  next  move  was  executed  with  amazing 
rapidity,  and  he  threw  his  whole  energy  into 
it.  He  swung  himself  round  on  his  hind  legs 
with  such  swiftness  and  energy  that  Slim  was 
sent  rolling  over  and  over  in  the  dust. 

**Well,  sirree,'*  he  exclaimed,  *^I  sure  thought 
that  a  cyclone  happened  along  just  now,  but 
I  suppose  it  must  have  been  that  broncho.  I 
hate  to  say  quit,  but  I^m  willin'  to  let  some  one 
else  have  a  try  at  him  before  I  renew  his 
acquaintance.^' 

*^ Guess  we'll  send  for  the  boss's  nephew," 
remarked  Bill,  **for  I  think  weVe  got  some- 
thin'  a  bit  unusual  here." 

So  Chris  was  sent  for,  and  approached  his 
task  with  such  an  air  of  jaunty  self-assurance 
that  the  boys  were  fervently  hoping  to  see  him 
come  a  cropper.  And  that  he  did  in  a  remark- 
ably short  space  of  time. 

The  broncho  changed  his  tactics;  he  lashed 
out  in  a  fury  of  rage,  doubtless  resenting  the 


196  MAKING  GOOD 

persistence  of  these  two-legged  creatures.  It 
required  all  Chris's  skill  and  nimbleness  to  get 
into  the  saddle,  and  when  he  did  so  the  broncho 
rushed  madly  toward  the  corral  fence,  stopped 
dead  in  front  of  it,  and  neatly  pitched  Chris 
off  his  back  and  over  it.  Up  to  the  present  the 
unusual  thing  about  the  broncho,  and  the  thing 
that  had  gained  for  him  such  notable  victories, 
had  been  his  great  strength.  When  in  action  he 
was  a  fiend  incarnate. 

Fortunately  for  Chris,  he  had  been  pitched 
over  on  to  some  loose  straw,  otherwise  he  might 
have  been  seriously  hurt,  for  he  had  been 
thrown  with  great  force. 

Bill  now  asked  for  volunteers,  and  one  after 
the  other  made  an  attempt  to  master  the  animal, 
but  never  with  complete  success. 

**Well,  sirree,"  remarked  Slim  after  he  had 
been  thrown  for  the  third  time,  *  *  it  *s  only  once 
in  years  that  a  brute  as  wise  an '  as  wicked  hap- 
pens along.  I  guess.  Bill,  we  '11  have  to  give  him 
up  for  a  bad  one. ' ' 

**Yes,  I'm  'fraid  so,  Slim,  unless  any  more 
of  the  boys'd  like  to  take  a  throw." 

'*I'd  like  to  take  a  try  at  him.  Bill,"  remarked 
Jack. 

**Wen,  boy,  there  he  is;  just  hop  to  it.  Seems 


THE  OUTLAW  BRONCHO  197 

io  me  that  he  ought  to  be  gettin^  tired  of  bein' 
thrown  an '  knocked  about. ' ' 

** Tired!''  broke  in  Slim  in  tones  of  disgust, 
**you  can't  tire  him;  he'd  throw  a  house  off 
his  back." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  broncho  was  ready  for 
Jack,  who  hopped  neatly  into  the  saddle.  He 
at  once  bent  down,  patted  the  animal,  and  spoke 
kindly  to  him.  The  broncho  was  tired;  he  had 
been  used  roughly,  and  no  attempt  whatever 
had  been  made  to  conciliate  him.  It  is  possible 
that  those  pauses  before  he  commenced  his 
antics  were  in  the  nature  of  overtures  to  his 
would-be  conquerors.  At  least,  so  Jack  had 
thought,  and  he  believed  that  a  little  kindly 
treatment  would  prove  an  effective  aid  to  break- 
ing him. 

*^ Steady,  old  man,"  he  whispered  to  him; 
''play  no  dirty  tricks  on  me  and  I'll  treat  you 
well.  You've  had  a  rough  time  up  to  now,  but 
you  have  no  need  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself. 
If  you  let  me  stay  on  your  back  for  a  few  min- 
utes I'll  see  that  you're  treated  well." 

Now  if  the  broncho  did  not  understand  the 
words,  he  seemed  to  appreciate  the  sentiments. 
The  wild,  wicked  look  gave  place  to  one  almost 
of  benevolence.    He  seemed  to  be  trying  hard 


/ 


198  MAKING  GOOD 

to  reconcile  himself  to  the  new  and  strange 
experience  of  having  some  one  seated  astride  on 
his  back,  and  to  the  irritating  piece  of  iron  that 
had  been  thrust  in  his  mouth. 

This  rider  did  not  enrage  him  by  pulling 
at  it,  and  he  refrained  from  annoying  him  by 
digging  into  his  ribs.  Instead  he  stroked  him 
gently  and  coaxed  him  to  behave  himself.  After 
all  they  were  not  all  enemies,  so  he  responded 
to  these  overtures.  He  broke  into  a  trot,  but 
held  himself  ready  in  case  he  had  made  a  mis- 
take in  trusting  this  stranger. 

Jack  made  no  attempt  to  restrain  him,  and 
allowed  him  to  trot  around  the  corral  at  his 
will.  After  a  few  minutes  of  this  the  broncho 
stopped  voluntarily,  and  Jack  slipped  out  of 
the  saddle  and  proceeded  to  make  a  fuss  over 
him,  patting  him  and  whispering  kind  things 
into  his  ear.  Highly  strung  beast  that  he  was, 
he  accepted  these  approaches  with  confidence, 
and  allowed  Jack  to  lead  him  round. 

'*Well,  sirree,'*  exclaimed  Slim,  **now  if  that 
don't  beat  the  band.  That  boy  must  understand 
horse  talk,  for  that  brute's  as  gentle  as  a  lamb 
with  him.'' 

The  amazement  on  the  faces  of  the  boys  look- 


THE  OUTLAW  BEONCHO  199 

ing  on,  most  of  whom  had  had  an  unforgettable 
experience  of  the  broncho's  viciousness,  was 
really  comical  to  see.  They  were  too  surprised 
to  say  anything.  A  broncho  was  something  to 
be  fought,  and  it  was  this  constant  tussling 
with  them  that  was  the  fascination  that  made 
them  love  their  profession. 

The  idea  that  occasionally  one  of  these  wild 
things  from  the  plains  could  be  subdued  merely 
by  kindness  had  never  occurred  to  them.  It 
was  a  novelty  to  them,  and  after  they  had  got 
over  their  surprise  they  became  frankly  amused 
at  the  idea. 

''How  did  you  manage  him,  Jack?"  asked 
Jones. 

**I  only  treated  him  with  decent  kindness, 
which  nobody  else  seemed  to  have  thought  of 
doing,"  replied  Jack. 

**Well,  it's  unusual.  Jack,  to  say  the  least." 

**Yes,  I  agree  with  you  there,  Joe,  but  he's 
an  unusual  horse,  and  I  don't  suppose  many 
of  them  would  give  you  time  to  speak  kindly 
to  them.  In  my  opinion  horses  are  a  good  deal 
like  human  beings;  you've  got  to  decide  your 
attitude  toward  them  before  you  approach 
them.  Now  I  saw  that  everybody  climbed  on  to 


200  MAKING  GOOD 

his  back  with  the  one  idea  of  making  a  fight  of 
it,  and  when  it  came  to  a  fight,  he  had  the  lot  of 
you  beaten  to  a  frazzle.'' 

**Well,  I  believe  you  are  right,  Jack;  it's  a 
new  idea  to  me,  an'  I'll  try  it  one  of  these 
days." 

**0h,  but  you're  likely  to  be  disappointed, 
Joe.  He's  a  broncho  in  a  thousand,  and  per- 
haps fighting  them  is  the  only  way  to  break  the 
majority  of  them  in. ' ' 

Just  then  Chris  walked  up. 

'* Pretty  soft,  eh,  Youngl"  he  said.  '^The 
brute  was  only  so  tired  that  he  hadn't  enough 
life  left  in  him  to  put  up  a  fight." 

** Don't  you  believe  it  now,"  remarked  Bill; 
**that  broncho  had  enough  life  left  in  him  to 
throw  any  three  of  us  off  at  once." 

**I'll  bet  you  five  dollars  that  he  won't  throw 
me  again,"  replied  Chris,  in  sneering  tones. 

** It's  a  go,"  remarked  Bill,  *' an'  I'll  be  only 
too  pleased  to  pay  you  the  money,  just  to  prove 
that  I  haven't  made  a  mistake  in  judging  an 
unusual  piece  of  horseflesh." 

As  Chris  approached  the  broncho  the  wicked, 
vicious  look  came  back  into  his  eyes,  and  he 
snorted  in  a  manner  that  should  have  warned 
Chris  to  forego  his  attempt.  But  his  pride  had 


THE  OUTLAW  BEONCHO  201 

received  such  a  severe  blow  that  he  was  blind 
to  every  thought  but  the  one  of  reestablishing 
himself  in  the  eyes  of  the  rest  of  the  boys. 

^*  Better  pay  up  your  five  dollars  and  leave 
him  alone,"  advised  Slim.  **He  don't  like  you, 
an'  he's  a  powerful  bad  enemy  to  have — least- 
ways that's  my  opinion." 

**Well,  if  it's  a  fight  he  wants,"  said  Chris, 
his  eyes  blazing  with  fury  and  a  cruel  expres- 
sion settling  around  his  mouth,  **I'll  oblige 
him." 

*^Well,  it's  your  own  funeral,"  replied  Slim; 
**I'm  only  givin'  you  an  ol'  cow-puncher's 
advice. ' ' 

So  fiercely  did  the  broncho  resent  this 
attempt  to  mount  him  that  he  had  to  be  thrown 
before  Chris  could  get  near  him.  It  wasn't  a 
broncho  that  struggled  to  his  feet;  it  was  a 
concentrated  fury.  He  made  a  tremendous  rush 
over  toward  the  corral  fence,  and  shot  Chris 
out  of  the  saddle  smash  into  it.  When  the  boys 
picked  him  up  he  was  bleeding  and  unconscious. 

**Here,  Young,"  called  out  Bill  as  the  bron- 
cho lashed  out  madly  at  every  one  that  tried  to 
get  hold  of  him.  *  ^  You  are  the  only  one  that  this 
here  locoed  brute  has  taken  a  fancy  to;  see  if 
you  can  get  hold  of  him. ' ' 


202  MAKING  GOOD 

After  a  little  coaxing  the  broncho  yielded  to 
Jack^s  persuasions  and  allowed  himself  to  be 
led  away. 

Fortunately  Chris  had  sustained  no  serious 
injury.  He  soon  recovered  consciousness,  and 
a  nasty  cut  on  the  forehead  was  the  only  bad 
result  of  the  conflict.  The  broncho  was  put 
under  Jack's  charge  and  the  understanding 
between  these  two  became  daily  more  complete. 
The  broncho  would  allow  no  one  else  to 
approach  him,  and  after  Chris's  disastrous 
second  attempt  to  ride  him,  no  one  showed  the 
slightest  desire  to  do  so. 

Each  day  Jack  took  him  over  the  prairie  for 
a  run,  and  the  way  he  moved  was  a  delight  to 
the  eye  of  every  lover  of  a  horse. 

'*That  horso,''  remarked  Slim,  *4s  a  one* 
man  horse." 

*'I  agree  with  you,  Slim,"  said  Mr.  Mcin- 
tosh, who  was  standing  by  at  the  time.  **It 
seems  a  pity,  too,  for  he's  a  fine-looking  brute, 
worth  any  man's  three  hundred  dollars.  I'll 
strike  a  bargain  with  Young  for  him:  he's 
worth  next  to  nothing  to  me,  while  he's  worth 
a  lot  of  money  to  Young.  He  can  have  him 
for  fifty  dollars." 

When  the  proposition  was  put  up  to  Jack 


THE  OUTLAW  BEONCHO  203 

he  fairly  jumped  at  it,  and  so  the  broncho 
passed  into  his  possession. 

'* You've  got  a  bargain,  Jack,*'  remarked 
Jones  as  Jack  discussed  the  matter  with  him, 
*'but  I  think  he's  just  a  bit  too  heavy  for  speed. 
He's  strong,  though,  and  will  be  just  the  pony 
for  roping." 

^'Oh,  but  you  should  see  him  move,  Joe," 
crgued  Jack.  **Why,  he'll  have  the  rest  of  the 
horses  on  the  Q.  Z.  miles  behind." 

'*What  about  the  black  gelding  belonging  to 
the  boss's  nephew?"  asked  Jones.  ** That's  a 
fair  record  breaker." 

*^Well,  I'd  like  to  have  a  try-out  with  him; 
I  think  he  '11  beat  him, ' '  answered  Jack. 

'*Well,  you'll  get  a  chance  to  do  that,  for  the 
Fair  will  soon  be  along." 

*^Yes,  that's  right,  and  I  think  he'll  lift  a 
prize  or  two  for  me." 

**Well,  I  hope  so.  Jack,  and  I'll  let  you  hear 
me  shouting  for  you,"  answered  Jones,  as  he 
walked  away. 


CHAPTER  Xm 

THE  FAIB 

THE  local  Fair  was  the  event  of  the  year  for 
the  ranchers  and  their  families,  and  the 
event  of  the  Fair  was  the  program  of  races  and 
competitions  for  the  display  of  those  accom- 
plishments which  appealed  most  readily  to  all 
cow-punchers.  Although  the  Fair  was  only  a 
local  one  there  was  a  large  influx  of  people 
from  the  surrounding  districts,  especially 
from  the  larger  towns,  and  from  the  city  of 
Calgary,  for  the  display  of  horsemanship  in  the 
various  competitions  was  of  such  a  high  order 
as  to  provide  unsurpassed  entertainment  for 
town  and  city  visitors. 

The  prizes  offered  were  very  substantial,  but 
apart  from  these  inducements  there  was  the 
keenest  rivalry  among  the  neighboring  ranches, 
such  as  usually  exists  among  schools  and  col- 
leges. There  were  competitions  in  roping,  rid- 
ing, and  bull-dogging,  in  addition  to  the  races. 

The  chief  event  among  the  latter  was  the 

204 


THE  FAIR  205 

pony  race  confined  to  riders  who  were  owners 
of  the  horses  ridden.  To  own  the  champion 
racer  in  the  district  was  a  proud  distinction 
and  it  always  brought  out  the  pick  of  the  horses 
and  the  best  riders,  for  the  owners  were  nearly 
all  ranchers  or  their  sons.  Apart  from  the 
honor  attached  to  winning  the  race,  there  was  a 
very  nice  monetary  reward  in  the  shape  of  a 
prize  of  one  thousand  dollars. 

Now  Jack,  when  he  heard  of  this,  promptly 
sent  in  an  entry,  and  proceeded  to  devote  him- 
self to  getting  his  broncho  into  the  finest  pos- 
sible condition. 

Jack  had  a  very  serious  rival  in  Chris,  whose 
black  gelding  was  beautifully  built  for  a  racer, 
being  small  and  lighter  than  Jack's  pony.  He 
was  full  of  life  and  fire,  and  was  certain  of  the 
most  capable  handling.  The  first  year  he  had 
been  eligible  to  compete  (riders  had  to  be  six- 
teen years  of  age  or  over,  and  must  not  weigh 
less  than  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds)  Chris 
had  carried  off  the  prize,  which  was  popularly 
regarded  as  the  **Blue  Ribbon '^  of  the  ranchers. 

Jack  confided  his  ambitions  to  Joan,  who  fre- 
quently went  with  him  for  whirlwind  gallops 
over  the  prairie,  and  she  was  most  enthusiastic 
and  hopeful  of  his  chances.   Since  the  incident 


206  MAKING  GOOD 

of  the  cattle  rustlers  they  had  been  the  most 
loyal  of  friends  and  the  closest  of  companions. 

*'How  d'you  think  my  pony  will  show  up 
against  Chris's?"  he  asked. 

**0h,  I'm  not  too  confident, '*  she  replied; 
** that's  a  wonderful  pony  he  has  got,  even  bet- 
ter than  the  one  he  won  the  race  with  last  year, 
and  he  rides  so  beautifully.  Your  pony  moves 
splendidly,  but  seems  just  a  trifle  too  heavily 
built  for  speed." 

**Yes,  Jones  says  the  same,  but  he's  very 
deceiving ;  when  he  really  *  opens  up '  he  goes  like 
the  wind,  but  he  so  seldom  seems  inclined  to  do 
his  best.  I'm  only  hoping  he'll  make  the  race 
one  of  those  rare  occasions  when  he  lets  him- 
self go." 

At  last  the  opening  day  of  the  Fair  arrived 
and  this  was  the  day  on  which  the  race  was  to 
be  decided.  It  was  glorious  autumn  weather, 
and  the  scene  on  the  spacious  Fair  grounds  was 
an  animated  and  attractive  one.  Camped  just 
outside  the  grounds  was  the  majority  of  the 
tribes  of  Sarcee  Indians,  who  were  specially 
invited  by  the  management  to  attend.  One  or 
two  of  the  events  were  arranged  exclusively  for 
competition  among  the  Indians,  and  at  night 
the  whole  of  the  tribe  were  to  give  an  exhibi- 


THE  FAIR  207 

tion  described  on  the  program  as  an  Indian 
** powwow,''  and  included  the  famous  Indian 
war  dance.  The  small  town  was  thronged  with 
v^isitors,  among  whom  mingled  the  picturesque 
figures  of  the  cowboys  sporting  new  necker- 
chiefs of  flaming  and  dazzling  hues.  As  Jack 
looked  on  at  this  scene  he  at  once  understood 
the  ill-concealed  eagerness  of  the  boys  for  the 
arrival  of  the  Fair ;  it  was  the  event  of  the  year 
to  them. 

In  addition  to  the  pony  race  Jack  was 
entered  for  the  roping  competition,  for  which 
he  was  a  strong  favorite.  He  was  also  bracketed 
with  Joan  for  a  display  of  fancy  roping,  which 
was  to  be  one  of  the  concluding  events  in  the 
day's  long  program.  The  two  months  preced- 
ing the  Fair  had  been  busy  and  crowded  ones 
for  Jack,  and  it  had  only  been  by  hard  work 
and  constant  application  that  Joan  and  he  had 
attained  their  remarkable  skill  with  the  rope. 

The  program  of  events  began  at  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  the  first  event  was  a  com- 
petition for  riders.  Horses  previously  unbroken 
were  to  provide  the  test,  and  for  those  riders 
who  successfully  overcame  them  a  notoriously 
vicious  broncho  had  been  imported  for  the  final 
test.   Among  the  entrants  from  the  Q.  Z.  were 


208  MAKING  GOOD 

Chris  and  Slim.  The  former,  who  seemed  to 
have  lost  his  nerve  since  he  was  thrown  against 
the  corral  fence,  was  soon  obliged  to  drop  out 
of  the  competition.  He  was  thrown  in  his  first 
two  attempts.  Among  the  Q.  Z.  entrants  Slim 
was  doing  by  far  the  best,  and  was  one  of  the 
only  two  that  survived  for  the  final  test.  The 
imported  broncho  well  sustained  his  evil  repu- 
tation, and  the  winner  of  the  competition  could 
not  stay  on  his  back  for  more  than  fifty  seconds. 
Slim,  who  came  second,  was  dismounted  at  the 
end  of  forty-five. 

The  next  event  was  the  roping  competition. 
Specially  selected  steers  were  run  into  the 
inclosure,  and  each  competitor  in  turn  had  to 
rope,  throw,  and  tie  up  a  steer  in  the  shortest 
possible  time.  When  Jack  executed  this  in 
thirty-eight  seconds  a  rousing  cheer  greeted  his 
performance  and  he  was  declared  an  easy  win- 
ner by  twelve  seconds.  lie  generously  attributed 
his  success  to  the  splendid  behavior  of  his  pony, 
which  seemed  to  anticipate  every  movement 
required  of  him. 

Then  followed  one  of  the  most  interesting 
events  of  the  day's  proceedings — the  *^ bull- 
dogging"  competition.  There  were  few  entries 
for  this,  as  it  was  a  difficult  and  dangerous  test. 


THE  FAIE  209 

The  riders  were  required  to  ride  alongside  of 
a  sturdily  built  steer,  jump  on  to  his  neck  and, 
by  the  exercise  of  great  strength  and  skill,  to 
throw  him.  The  danger  was  in  getting  clear  of 
the  steer  when  throwing  him. 

The  first  competitor  came  to  grief  in  this 
way.  He  succeeded  in  his  throw,  but  for  a  few 
moments  he  was  inextricably  mixed  up  with  the 
steer  rolling  on  the  ground,  and  as  he  did  not 
move  when  the  beast  got  on  to  his  feet  again, 
assistance  was  sent  to  him  and  he  was  found 
to  be  badly  crushed. 

Several  of  the  competitors  did  not  succeed  in 
throwing  their  steer.  Jones,  who  was  one  of  the 
last  to  compete,  very  cleverly  dropped  on  to 
the  back  of  his  steer  and  threw  him,  at  the  same 
time  rolling  clear  himself.  Only  three  of  the 
competitors  succeeded  in  doing  this,  so  a  pow- 
erful, heavily  built  prairie  bull  was  run  into  the 
inclosure.  The  first  competitor,  after  dropping 
neatly  across  his  neck,  wrestled  with  him  for 
some  time  but  had  to  give  up  the  attempt  to 
throw  him.  The  second  had  a  similar  experi- 
ence, so  that  the  interest  attending  Jones's 
attempt  was  very  keen.  There  were  encouraging 
yells  from  the  boys  from  the  Q.  Z  ranch  when 
Jones  galloped  over  toward  the  bull.  ''Dog  'im, 


210  MAKING  GOOD 

Jones/'  they  yelled.  It  was  some  time  before 
he  could  get  into  position;  when  he  did  he 
dropped  across  the  bulPs  shoulders,  seized  his 
horns,  gave  them  a  twist,  and  in  a  twinkling 
the  bull  was  rolling  in  the  dust  with  Jones  well 
clear  of  him.  It  was  a  very  neat  and  skillful 
piece  of  work,  and  it  revealed  Jones  as  a  mas- 
ter at  this  difficult  and  dangerous  art. 

The  crowd  loudly  applauded  his  fine  effort 
and  he  was  deservedly  declared  the  winner. 
With  two  of  the  chief  competitions  to  their 
credit,  the  Q.  Z.  boys  were  highly  pleased  with 
themselves. 

The  next  event  was  confined  to  Blood  Indians 
only,  and  consisted  of  a  bareback  relay  race, 
four  horses  being  used  in  turn  by  each  rider. 
It  was  very  exciting,  and  roused  even  the 
stolid,  phlegmatic  Indians  to  some  show  of 
enthusiasm. 

Then  came  what  might  be  termed  the  classic 
event  of  the  day — the  race  for  ponies,  which  has 
already  been  referred  to.  The  race  was  over  a 
distance  of  one  mile  and  a  half,  and  necessitated 
covering  the  oval  course  twice.  Fourteen  ponies 
had  been  entered,  and  the  majority  were  splen- 
did specimens  of  the  prairie-bred  horse.  Jack 
was  very  hopeful  of  his  chance.   There  was  a 


THE  FAIR  211 

beautiful  bloom  on  the  golden  bide  of  bis  pony 
as  be  led  bim  out  on  to  tbe  course.  If  be  would 
only  sbow  tbat  speed  tbat  be  was  capable  of, 
Jack  was  sure  be  would  win.  But  be  was  ratber 
a  willful  and  moody  brute,  and  bad  to  be  coaxed 
to  do  bis  best. 

Apart  from  tbe  interest  in  tbe  race,  it  was  a 
very  pretty  exbibition  of  borsemansbip.  Jack's 
borse  was  not  a  favorite,  for  bis  temperament 
was  well  known.  Tbat  position  was  sbared  by 
tbree  borses,  one  of  wbicb  was  Cbris's  black 
gelding.  But  if  Jack's  borse  was  not  a  favorite, 
he  bad  many  well-wisbers  among  tbe  crowd,  and 
his  eye  bad  caught  tbe  flutter  of  Joan's  hand- 
kerchief as  she  waved  to  him  from  the  stand. 

The  arrangements  were  ratber  primitive  and, 
as  tbe  borses  were  all  high-spirited  beasts,  the 
start  was  very  straggling.  Jack  was  one  of  the 
last  to  get  off,  with  the  leaders  many  lengths  in 
front.  He  held  a  slack  rein  just  to  sbow  bis 
pony  that  the  race  was  up  to  bim,  but  when  the 
circuit  of  tbe  course  had  been  once  completed  be 
was  last. 

Tbe  three  favorites  were  fighting  it  out  gal- 
lantly in  front,  with  Chris  slowly  drawing  away 
from  tbe  other  two.  Jack  heard  the  shouts  of 
the  crowd  as  be  passed  the  stand.  He  lay  over 


212  MAKING  GOOD 

the  neck  of  his  pony  and  whispered  to  him: 

**Come  on,  old  man,  don't  you  know  that 
we're  last? — just  a  little  spurt  to  show  that 
you're  made  of  the  real  stuff." 

His  pony  pricked  up  his  ears  as  though  he 
understood  and,  though  more  than  thirty  lengths 
behind  the  leaders  and  with  nearly  three-quar- 
ters of  the  distance  covered,  he  began  to  put 
in  his  effort.  With  great,  tearing  strides  he 
rapidly  shortened  the  gap,  and  a  roar  went  up 
from  the  crowd.  Horse  after  horse  he  passed 
until  he  was  on  the  heels  of  the  foremost  horses. 
Chris  was  leading  by  two  lengths,  with  the  same 
distance  between  the  second  and  third,  and  it 
was  little  more  than  a  hundred  yards  to  the 
finishing  post  in  front  of  the  stand. 

Could  he  do  it?  Jack  lay  across  his  pony's 
neck  urging  him  forward.  On  and  on  he 
plunged  until  he  was  on  the  heels  of  Chris's 
black  gelding  and  the  post  was  only  a  few  yards 
away.  Then,  seeming  to  ignore  Jack's  plead- 
ings and  entering  into  the  struggle  on  his  own 
account,  he  literally  threw  himself  at  the  post 
in  time  to  push  his  head  in  front  of  the  black 
gelding's  as  they  passed  it  together. 

It  had  been  a  thrilling,  remarkable  race,  and 
the  result  was  as  great  a  surprise  to  Jack  as  to 


THE  FAIR  213 

any  one.  It  was  also  a  great  surprise  to  Chris, 
who,  on  looking  back  after  half  the  distance  had 
been  covered,  had  had  the  satisfaction  of  see- 
ing Jack  hopelessly  in  the  rear  and  apparently 
out  of  it.  He  hated  both  horse  and  rider,  for 
they  had  both  lowered  his  pride  at  different 
times.  When  he  saw  Jack  closing  in  upon  him 
he  made  a  desperate  struggle  to  keep  the  lead, 
and  only  succumbed  in  the  last  few  strides.  He 
took  his  beating  with  very  bad  grace,  and  this 
was  responsible  for  an  incident  which  gave  an 
added  thrill  to  a  memorable  event.  As  they 
passed  the  post  and  rode  along  side  by  side  for 
some  yards,  he  raised  his  quirt  and  deliberately 
slashed  Jack  across  the  face.  Stung  and  mad- 
dened by  pain.  Jack  threw  his  feet  out  of  the 
stirrups,  sprang  on  to  the  black  gelding's  back, 
and  wrestled  with  Chris.  The  gelding  bucked 
and  threw  them  both,  and  the  struggle  was  con- 
tinued on  the  grass  until  some  of  the  boys  ran 
up  and  separated  them. 

Fortunately  the  incident  had  escaped  the 
notice  of  the  crowd,  though  it  was  not  very  long 
before  the  news  of  it  was  whispered  around. 
When  Mr.  Mcintosh  heard  of  it  he  went  into  a 
towering  rage  and  swore  that  his  nephew  would 
not  be  allowed  to  stay  another  day  on  the  ranch. 


214  MAKING  GOOD 

Jones  had  been  one  of  the  first  to  reach  the 
two  boys  struggling  on  the  ground,  and  the 
way  he  had  thrown  Chris  to  one  side  expressed 
the  disgust  he  felt  with  him. 

As  Jack  got  to  his  feet  he  at  once  shook  hands 
with  him. 

^  ^  Fine,  Jack  boy,  fine, ' '  he  remarked  enthusi- 
astically, ^^but  how  on  earth  did  you  persuade 
your  pony  to  put  in  a  run  like  that  ? ' ' 

*^ Didn't  have  to  persuade  him,  Joe;  I  only 
whispered  to  him,  and  the  way  he  shot  ahead 
was  as  great  a  surprise  to  me  as  to  any  one. ' ' 

**Well,  it  was  a  fine  effort  and  worth  watch- 
ing— which  is  more  than  I  can  say  about  what 
happened  afterward.  The  dirty  skunk. '  *  he  con- 
tinued, with  emphasis,  **he  can't  take  a  licking 
in  any  shape  or  form,  and  I  don't  know  how  I 
kept  my  hands  off  him. ' ' 

**Well,  you  did  me  no  good  trun  by  dragging 
us  apart,  Joe." 

^  ^  I  know  how  you  feel  about  it,  but  that  kind 
of  thing  doesn't  go  well  in  public.  You  can  con- 
sole yourself  with  the  fact  that  you  are  a  thou- 
sand dollars  richer  over  the  race." 

**Yes;  a  little  nearer  to  getting  the  J.  J. 
ranch  Joe,  eh?" 

'*Yes,  but  it's  you  who  are  getting  all  the 


THE  FAIR  215 

coin,  Jack;  about  time  I  got  a  hustle  on/' 
**0h,  you'll  easily  win  the  five  thousand  dol- 
lars prize  for  bull-doggin ',  Joe;  nobody  can 
touch  you  at  that,"  concluded  Jack  enthusias- 
tically. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  and  spectacular 
events  of  the  day  was  provided  by  the  exhibition 
of  fancy  roping  given  by  Joan  and  Jack.  Joan 
rode  around  the  inclosure  while  Jack,  by  the 
exercise  of  great  skill  and  dexterity,  kept  the 
lasso  encircling  her  but  without  touching  her. 
It  was  a  fine  piece  of  work  and  generously  appre- 
ciated by  a  critical  crowd,  which  became  wildly 
enthusiastic  when  Joan  performed  the  same 
feat  with  Jack  as  the  rider. 

The  last  event  of  the  day  was  a  ** powwow" 
by  the  Indians.  They  assembled  on  a  large  plat- 
form erected  for  the  purpose,  with  the 
*' squaws"  forming  the  outer  circle  and  the 
braves  within.  In  the  center  was  a  drum, 
around  which  were  the  *^ musicians" — two  or 
three  of  the  young  braves  who  beat  on  it.  At 
first  they  commenced  very  slowly  and  softly, 
accompanying  the  raps  with  a  weird  sort  of 
chant,  more  like  the  steady  drone  of  bees.  The 
squaws  on  the  outside  shuffled  round,  making  a 
scraping  noise  with  their  feet,  and  a  movement 


216  MAKING  GOOD 

with  their  bodies,  which  resembled  an  old-fash- 
ioned curtsy.  They  also  hummed  in  tune  with 
the  musicians. 

The  painted  braves,  who  were  the  star  per- 
formers of  the  show,  then  started  gliding  move- 
ments, each  one  imitating  the  animal  whose 
spirit  he  imagined  himself  to  possess.  The  wolf 
being  a  great  tribal  favorite,  the  majority  of 
them  commenced  snarling  and  clawing  at  the 
air,  and  occasionally  at  each  other  ^s  hair. 

As  the  dance  progressed  the  tom-tom  was  rat- 
tled with  increasing  vigor,  and  the  barks  and 
snarls  and  clawings  of  the  ** wolves*'  increased 
correspondingly,  while  the  old  ladies  on  the  out- 
side bobbed  more  frequently  and  shuffled  more 
noisily  until  perfect  pandemonium  reigned. 
Then  gradually  the  rappings  on  the  tom-tom 
became  fewer  and  less  noisy,  until  they  finally 
ceased. 

The  spectators  looked  on  good-humoredly 
and  applauded  generously,  highly  amused  at 
the  apparently  maniacal  movements  of  the  red 
men.  But  the  latter  treated  the  powwow  as  a 
religious  ceremonial  and  frowned  at  the  hilar- 
ity of  the  white  onlookers.  Each  dance  had  its 
own  particular  significance,  and  was  announced 
separately,  but  it  could  not  be  distinguished 
from  all  previous  ones  by  any  new  movements 


THE  FAIR  217 

on  the  part  of  the  dancers,  excepting  that  they 
sometimes  went  the  other  way  round,  or  clawed 
with  the  left  hand  first  instead  of  the  right.  The 
white  onlookers,  unable  to  appreciate  the  fine 
points  in  the  dances,  though  enjoying  the  nov- 
elty of  them,  were,  without  intending  it,  making 
themselves  very  offensive  to  the  red  men,  and, 
in  consequence,  as  dance  followed  dance  the 
frenzied  niovements  and  sounds  of  the  perform- 
ers increased.  Mr.  Mcintosh  was  one  of  the  first 
to  perceive  that  the  old  fighting  spirit  of  the 
red  man  was  being  aroused,  and  that  the  old 
antagonism  to  the  white  man  was  being  excited. 
He  dropped  a  hint  to  men  with  their  families 
present,  and  the  women  were  hurried  off  home. 
He  also  warned  the  boys  (who  good-naturedly 
cheered  louder  as  the  shrieks  of  the  dancers 
became  wilder)  that  they  had  better  stay  in  case 
trouble  started. 

As  one  of  those  responsible  for  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Fair,  he  advised  that  the  Indians 
be  ordered  to  cease  dancing  at  once  and  return 
to  their  encampments  near  by. 

This  order  of  the  committee  was  ignored  by 
the  Indians,  who,  to  the  alarm  of  the  older  men 
present,  replied  by  starting  up  the  war  dance. 
This  was  like  a  spark  to  tinder;  the  old  pas- 
sions and  battle  lust  of  the  Indians  flared  up, 


218  MAKING  GOOD 

and  terrifying,  blood-curdling  shrieks  rent  the 
air,  while  the  dancers  went  through  all  the 
motions  of  scalping.  The  squaws,  alive  to  the 
situation,  deserted  in  large  numbers  and  dis- 
appeared into  the  darkness. 

Mr.  Mcintosh  held  a  hurried  consultation 
with  other  members  of  the  committee,  and  it 
was  decided  to  charge  into  the  frenzied,  shriek- 
ing Indians  and  disperse  them. 

The  boys  entered  into  this  with  great  glee. 
After  firing  a  volley  into  the  air,  they  charged 
on  to  the  platform  and  commenced  cracking  the 
skulls  of  the  Indians  with  the  butt  ends  of  their 
revolvers.  The  musicians  came  in  for  a  real 
rough  time,  the  tom-tom  being  quickly  put  out 
of  commission.  The  braves  soon  melted  away 
into  the  darkness  and  sought  the  safety  of  their 
own  encampment,  with  all  their  warlike  pas- 
sions effectively  quenched. 

The  following  day,  at  the  pressing  invitation 
of  the  management,  they  returned  to  their 
reserve,  with  the  assurance  that  they  would  not 
again  be  required  to  display  their  abilities  for 
the  entertainment  of  unenlightened  white  men. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  GKEAT  STAMPEDE 

THE  day  following  tlie  Fair  Mr.  Mcintosh 
was  as  good  as  his  word,  and  Chris  was 
told  to  pack  up  and  go.  This  he  did  with  a  very 
bad  grace.  At  the  last  moment  he  sought  to 
change  Mr.  Mcintosh's  attitude  toward  him, 
but  the  rancher  was  obdurate. 

Apart  from  the  unsportsmanlike  conduct  of 
Chris  in  his  dealings  with  Jack,  the  rancher 
knew  that  he  was  keeping  bad  company,  and 
was  frequenting  the  saloon  in  the  town  more 
often  than  was  good  for  a  lad.  He  had  remon- 
strated with  him,  but  without  avail,  and  had 
previously  threatened  to  turn  him  oif  the  ranch 
unless  he  mended  his  ways.  Then  came  the  in- 
cident of  the  race,  which  was  the  direct  cause 
of  Mr.  Mcintosh's  decision  to  pack  Chris  off. 
He  had  given  him  every  opportunity  to  make 
good,  but  Chris  had  persistently  abused  his 
privileges,  and  had  paid  no  heed  to  the  appeals 
made  to  him. 

The  rancher  fully  believed  that,  working  for 

219 


220  MAKING  GOOD 

some  one  who  would  be  strict  with  him,  and 
where  he  would  be  on  the  same  footing  as  the 
rest  of  the  riders,  Chris  would  pull  himself 
together.  So  Chris  rode  over  to  the  Three-Bar 
ranch  and  secured  a  job  as  a  rider. 

Though  Mr.  Mcintosh  had  been  obdurate  to 
all  the  appeals  and  arguments  of  his  nephew, 
he  really  did  not  like  seeing  the  boy  go,  and 
after  he  had  secured  a  job  on  the  Three-Bar, 
he  rode  over  and  had  a  chat  with  Wheeler,  the 
owner  of  the  ranch. 

The  result  was  that  Chris  found  himself 
under  very  severe  and  strict  discipline,  and 
gradually  be  reconciled  himself  to  confining  his 
interest  chiefly  to  his  work.  A  gradual  separa- 
tion from  many  undesirable  companions  fol- 
lowed, together  with  a  growing  appreciation  of 
the  kindness  and  privileges  he  had  so  deliber- 
ately abused. 

Mr.  Mcintosh  was  quick  to  see  the  change  in 
him,  and  confided  to  his  wife  the  hopes  he  had 
that  Chris  would  eventually  make  good.  It  was 
obvious  that  the  lad  was  changed,  for  he  made 
friendly  approaches  to  Jack  and  frankly  apolo- 
gized for  the  lamentable  exhi'Bition  in  the  Fair 
grounds. 

Jack  was  too  good-natured  to  harbor  any  ill 


THE  GEEAT  STAMPEDE  221 

feeling,  and  so  it  came  about  that  tliey  were 
frequently  seen  riding  together. 

'* What's  all  this  friendliness  between  you 
and  Chris  f  asked  Jones  of  Jack  one  night. 

**0h,  I  don^t  much  understand  it  myself/' 
replied  Jackj  **he's  sorry  over  the  race  affair, 
and  altogether  seems  to  me  to  be  pretty 
decent. ' ' 

**Well,  I  hope  he  means  it  all,  Jack,  for  if 
he's  playing  any  underhand  game  on  you  he'd 
better  look  out,  for  I'll  be  after  him  in  less  time 
than  it  takes  a  rattler  to  shake  his  rattles." 

But  Jones  had  no  need  to  be  afraid  of  Chris's 
intentions  toward  Jack;  he  was  really  changed 
and  genuinely  anxious  to  wipe  out  the  memories 
of  his  former  bad  spirit.  He  had  never  dreamed 
that  Mr.  Mcintosh  would  carry  out  his  ex- 
pressed intention  to  send  him  off,  so  that  when 
he  did  so  it  came  as  a  severe  shock  to  him. 

The  experience  of  working  for  a  man  who 
treated  him  the  same  as  the  other  boys  was  a 
wholesome  corrective  to  Chris,  and  he  began  to 
realize  what  the  abuse  of  his  position  and  priv- 
ileges had  brought  him.  As  soon  as  he  came  to 
his  senses  he  decided  to  amend  and  win  his  way 
back  into  the  good  graces  of  his  uncle.  He  knew 
that  his  treatment  of  Jack  had  been  particularly 


222  MAKING  GOOD 

distasteful  to  Mr.  Mcintosh,  and  he  also  real- 
ized that  the  only  decent  thing  to  do  was  to 
apologize  to  Jack,  and  to  show  by  his  conduct 
that  he  was  genuinely  sorry  and  ashamed  of 
himself. 

So  it  came  about  that  a  real  friendship 
sprang  up  between  the  two  boys,  for  Jack  was 
quick  to  forget  and  forgive,  and  showed,  as  he 
always  did,  a  generous  appreciation  of  the  skill 
of  Chris  in  handling  horses. 

But  Jack's  tim*^  was  not  wholly  spent  in 
Chris's  company,  for  he  found  time  to  develop 
the  warm  friendship  he  felt  for  Joan,  and  they 
had  many  enjoyable  and  thrilling  rides  together 
over  the  spacious  prairie. 

The  prevailing  topic  at  this  time  was  the 
coming  Stampede  at  Calgary.  Thousands  of 
dollars  were  to  be  distributed  in  prizes,  and 
the  Stampede  was  to  last  for  a  period  of  five 
days.  It  was  one  of  the  biggest  things  of  its 
kind  that  had  been  attempted  on  the  American 
continent,  and  men  world-famed  for  their  abili- 
ties as  riders  were  to  compete.  To  Jack  and 
Jones  the  Stampede  meant  a  great  deal  more 
than  to  most,  for,  apart  from  their  sporting 
interest  in  it,  they  regarded  it  as  a  serious  busi- 
ness proposition.  It  was  their  one  great  chance 


THE  GEEAT  STAMPEDE  223 

to  get  sufficient  capital  to  purchase  a  ranch,  and 
they  were  determined  to  develop  their  skill  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  make  them  serious  compet- 
itors for  the  generous  prizes  offered. 

It  was  a  great  tribute  to  Jack's  persistence 
to  find  himself  regarded  as  the  hope  of  the 
** foothills*'  ranchers  for  the  roping  competi- 
tion. By  constant  practice  he  had  reached  the 
stage  of  perfection  which  had  so  easily  secured 
for  him  the  prize  for  roping  at  the  local  Fair, 
and  this,  accomplished  with  such  ease,  had 
marked  him  out  as  a  possible  winner  of  the 
competition  at  the  Stampede.  And  in  showing 
their  confidence  in  him  they  were  backed  up  by 
the  management  of  the  Stampede,  who  sent  an 
invitation  to  Jack  and  Joan  to  give  an  exhibi- 
tion of  roping. 

If  Jack  was  the  choice  of  the  district  for  rop- 
ing, Jones  was  as  strong  a  favorite  for  the  bull- 
dogging  competition.  Added  to  his  skill,  Jones 
had  the  advantage  of  a  splendid  physique,  and 
it  needed  strength  as  well  as  skill  to  come 
through  the  competition  successfully. 

The  interest  of  the  ranchers  in  the  coming 
Stampede,  and  their  desire  to  see  local  talent 
triumph  in  what  were  really  world  competi- 
tions, took  a  practical  shape. 


224  MAKING  GOOD 

At  a  meeting  called  together  for  this  purpose 
it  was  decided  that  all  of  those  competing  at  the 
Stampede  should  be  released,  as  far  as  possible, 
from  their  ordinary  duties  on  the  ranch.  And, 
for  the  benefit  of  those  in  the  riding  competi- 
tions, the  most  difficult  horses  to  ride  were 
pooled  so  that  every  one  should  have  an  equal 
chance  to  test  his  skill  and  to  increase  his 
confidence. 

*  *  Well,  Jack, ' '  remarked  Jones  when  he  heard 
of  the  decision  of  the  ranchers,  ^*  all  I  can  say  is 
that  they're  the  finest  bunch  of  sports  IVe  ever 
met,  and  if  we  don't  make  good  at  the  Stampede 
it  '11  be  no  fault  of  theirs. ' ' 

**No,  nor  of  ours,  Joe,  for  I'm  all  out  to  win." 

**The  same  here,  Jack,  not  forgetting  that  if 
we  win  we'll  be  a  small  matter  of  eight  thou- 
sand dollars  to  the  good." 

This  decision  of  the  ranchers  gave  the  com- 
petitors four  clear  weeks  in  which  to  prepare. 
Jack,  who  was  quick  to  take  advantage  of  this 
privilege,  was  never  tired  of  practicing  the  dif- 
ficult art  of  roping,  and  gave  the  young  steers 
on  the  Q.  Z.  ranch  a  rough  time,  for  he  was  con- 
tinually riding  in  among  them,  roping  and 
throwing  one  of  their  number,  while  Jones 
timed  him.   He  was  able  to  do  it  regularly  in 


THE  GEEAT  STAMPEDE  225 

thirty-three  seconds,  and  once  got  it  down  to 
thirty-one. 

^*Keep  that  up,  Jack,  and  nothing  will  beat 
you,''  remarked  Jones  encouragingly. 

Then  Jones  would  take  a  turn  at  his  specialty 
— ;bull-dogging.  He  would  ride  in  among  the  cat- 
tle, then  pick  out  the  swiftest  and  heftiest-look- 
ing steer,  ride  alongside  of  him  for  some  time, 
leap  nimbly  across  his  shoulders,  grasp  his 
horns,  give  them  a  twist,  and  crash!  the  steer 
would  go  down,  rolling  over  and  over  on  the 
prairie.    Jack  would  applaud  enthusiastically. 

**Say,  Joe,  but  nothing  will  stand  up  to  you 
if  you  treat  'em  all  as  rough  as  that. ' ' 

Chris  occasionally  rode  out  with  them,  and 
his  warm  friendliness  and  encouragement  were 
in  pleasing  contrast  to  his  former  surliness.  He 
was  practicing  for  the  bronchobusting  compe- 
tition, and  entered  into  his  training  with  heart 
and  soul. 

*^That  boy  has  changed,"  Mr.  Mcintosh  re- 
marked to  his  wife;  ^4f  only  he  keeps  it  up  I'll 
have  him  back  and  give  him  an  interest  in  the 
ranch. ' ' 

At  last  the  long-looked-forward-to  opening 
day  of  the  Stampede  arrived,  and  there  was 
great  excitement  at  the  ranch  houses,  for  there 


226  MAKING  GOOD 

was  to  be  a  *^trek''  from  the  foothills  into  Cal- 
gary, only  sufficient  men  being  left  behind  to 
do  the  necessary  duties.  It  was  ardently  hoped 
that  more  than  one  world  ^s  championship 
would  be  brought  back  to  the  ** foothills/' 

The  city  of  Calgary  was  en  fete,  and  cow- 
punchers  from  Texas  and  Montana  jostled  one 
another  in  the  streets.  Elaborate  preparations 
had  been  made  for  those  who  wished  to  attend 
the  Stampede.  On  the  opening  day  a  huge 
crowd  of  forty  thousand  assembled. 

The  bronchobusting  competition,  having  the 
most  entries,  was  carried  on  simultaneously 
with  other  competitions,  and  it  was  not 
expected  that  the  winner  would  be  declared 
before  the  end  of  the  fourth  day.  The  bull-dog- 
ging competition  was  expected  to  last  over  the 
first  two  days,  while  the  roping  competition 
was  arranged  for  the  third  and  fourth  days. 
The  fifth  and  last  day  was  to  be  mainly  devoted 
to  exhibition  riding  by  the  winners  of  the 
competitions. 

Bronchos  renowned  for  their  vicious  quali- 
ties had  been  specially  imported  for  the  riding 
tests,  and  the  spectators  were  highly  enter- 
tained by  some  thrilling  duels  between  horses 
and  riders.   The  bronchos  invariably  had  some 


THE  GREAT  STAMPEDE  227 

little  surprise  for  each  rider,  and  there  was  a 
rapid  weeding  out  of  the  unskillful. 

The  riders  from  ** across  the  border"  made 
the  best  showing  on  the  first  day,  the  only  Cana- 
dian to  survive  the  first  test  being  an  Indian. 

In  the  bull-dogging  competition  Jones  had 
his  first  test  and  came  through  it  easily,  though 
three-fourths  of  the  competitors  came  to  grief. 
By  the  end  of  the  second  day  all  the  foothills 
representatives  in  the  riding  competitions  had 
come  to  grief,  Chris  and  Slim  among  them, 
though  both  had  put  up  a  game  fight  and  had 
nearly  succeeded. 

*^Well,  sirree,''  remarked  Slim  in  talking 
over  his  experiences  in  the  competition,  **you 
might  as  well  hev  tried  to  ride  a  streak  of  light- 
nin '  or  to  sit  on  a  barrel  of  lighted  dynamite  as 
to  keep  your  seat  on  that  piece  of  devil  flesh." 

The  second  day's  proceedings  secured  the 
first  championship  for  the  foothills,  and  Jones 
was  the  hero.  In  the  concluding  stage  of  the 
bull-dogging  competition,  there  were  only  four- 
teen survivors  of  the  first  day's  tests.  A  pow- 
erful, vicious-looking  wild  steer,  a  ^^ maverick," 
long-horned  and  red-eyed,  was  run  into  the  in- 
closure,  and  his  demeanor  and  antics  were  so 
hostile    that   two    of   the    fourteen    gracefully 


228  MAKING  GOOD 

declined  combat.  Of  the  remaining  twelve  Jones 
was  the  sixth  to  compete,  and  the  steer,  up 
to  that  time,  had  easily  resisted  all  attempts 
to  put  him  down.  But  the  succession  of  at- 
tempts had  irritated  and  annoyed  him  so  that 
when  Jones  began  his  attempt  the  steer  was  in 
an  ugly  temper.  He  disdained  to  move  when 
Jones  rode  over  to  him,  and  it  took  the  imited 
efforts  of  three  other  riders  to  persuade  him 
into  a  run.  Jones  followed  alongside,  and  lost 
no  time  in  getting  across  the  steer's  shoulders. 
Then  followed  a  thrilling  struggle  for  mastery. 

**Dog  'im,  cowboy,'*  yelled  the  crowd,  wildly 
excited. 

The  steer  first  of  all  made  vicious  attempts 
to  throw  Jones,  and  it  required  all  his  strength 
and  skill  to  hang  on.  He  then  went  careering 
madly  across  the  inclosure,  while  Jones,  with  a 
hand  on  each  horn,  struggled  grimly  and  with 
tenacious  strength,  not  only  to  retain  his  place 
across  the  steer's  shoulders  but  also  to  force 
his  head  down  until  he  finally  toppled  over. 
Slowly  but  surely  the  steer's  head  was  forced 
down  lower  and  gradually  lower  until,  with  his 
head  pushed  in  between  his  front  legs,  he  som- 
ersaulted over,  Jones  barely  escaping  being 
crushed  underneath  him.   It  was  a  magnificent 


THE  GREAT  STAMPEDE  229 

struggle,  and  Jones  received  a  tremendous  ova- 
tion as  he  walked  out  of  the  inclosure.  A  fresh 
steer,  equally  powerful,  was  run  into  the  in- 
closure and  defied  the  efforts  of  the  remaining 
competitors,  so  that  Jones  was  declared  the 
winner  of  the  competition  and  the  five  thousand 
dollars  in  prize  money. 

To  the  great  delight  of  the  crowd,  he  insisted 
on  trying  conclusions  with  the  undefeated  steer, 
and  again  he  triumphed  after  another  thrilling 
but  not  quite  so  lengthy  a  struggle.  He  had  well 
won,  and  his  face  was  beaming  with  delight 
when  Jack  congratulated  him. 

*^Jack,  boy,*'  he  called  out  as  Jack  ap- 
proached, **what  price  the  J.  J.  ranch  nowf 

**  Looks  good,  Joe,  thanks  to  you,  and  nobody 
can  deny  but  what  you^re  a  real  champion.^' 

The  next  day  was  the  first  day  of  the  roping 
competition,  in  which  Jack  was  one  of  the 
youngest  competitors.  It  was  remarkable  to 
think  that,  less  than  two  years  ago.  Jack  had 
not  known  what  roping  was,  and  now  he  was 
competing  against  the  greatest  ropers  in  the 
world.  His  wonderful  proficiency  was  the  sim- 
ple result  of  hard  work  and  application,  allied 
to  a  quick  eye  and  strong  wrists.  He  was  a 
trifle  nervous  when  answering  to  his  name  in 


230  MAKING  GOOD 

the  roll  of  competitors,  for  after  Jones  had  tri- 
umphed so  splendidly  he  was  donbly  anxious  to 
secure  chief  honors,  and  with  them  the  three 
thousand  dollars  in  prize  money. 

Each  competitor  had  to  ride  out,  rope,  throw, 
and  tie  his  steer,  the  one  performing  it  in  the 
shortest  time  being  awarded  the  prize.  Up  to 
about  halfway  through  the  competition  the  best 
time  was  thirty-eight  seconds,  and  this  was 
returned  in  three  cases.  Shortly  afterward  this 
was  easily  beaten  by  an  old  experienced  cow- 
puncher  from  Montana,  who  returned  the  splen- 
did time  of  thirty- three  seconds.  Jack  was  one 
of  the  last  to  compete,  and  as  he  rode  into  the  in- 
closure,  the  cynosure  of  thousands  of  eyes,  his 
heart  beat  wildly  with  excitement.  He  knew  he 
was  up  against  one  of  the  most  difficult  things  he 
had  attempted,  and  he  figured  his  rope  nerv- 
ously, waiting  for  the  word  to  go.  At  last  it 
came,  and  he  shot  out  his  horse  into  the  center  of 
the  inclosure  in  pursuit  of  his  steer,  at  the  same 
time  swinging  his  rope  ready  for  the  throw  at 
the  first  favorable  opportunity.  Faced  with  the 
record  of  thirty-three  seconds  he  could  not 
afford  to  wait,  and  made  the  throw  at  a  dead  gal- 
lop. In  doing  so  he  knew  that  he  risked  every- 


THE  GEEAT  STAMPEDE  231 

tEng,  and  the  vast  crowd  momentarily  held  its 
breath  while  awaiting  the  result.  The  rope  was 
sent  a  few  feet  ahead  of  the  stampeding  steer, 
and  was  so  beautifully  timed  that  he  ran  his 
head  right  into  it.  Jack  pulled  up  his  horse,  at 
the  same  time  wheeling  him  around  until  he  was 
facing  away  from  the  steer.  Not  waiting  for  the 
rope  to  become  taut  he  sprang  out  of  the  saddle, 
relying  on  his  pony  to  get  the  steer  on  to  his 
back,  which  he  did,  while  Jack  ran  like  a  deer 
toward  the  steer.  With  deft  and  sure  fingers 
he  tied  the  feet  of  the  fallen  beast,  then  held  up 
his  hand  signifying  that  he  was  finished. 

A  hasty  inspection  of  his  work  followed, 
and  then  the  time  was  ahnounced — thirty-three 
seconds  I  He  had  made  a  tie  of  it !  The  crowd 
roared  out  its  delight,  for  it  had  taken  this 
stripling  to  its  heart. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  day  only  two  com- 
petitors were  left  in.  Jack  being  one  of  them. 
A  few  others  took  part  the  following  morning, 
but  none  of  them  succeeded  in  approaching  the 
record  of  thirty-three  seconds,  so  that  the  final 
decision  rested  between  Jack  and  the  old  cow- 
puncher  from  Montana.  It  was  set  down  as  the 
star  turn  on  the  afternoon's  program  and 
aroused  tremendous  interest.  The  foothills  con- 


232  MAKINa  GOOD 

tingent  mustered  in  force  in  clamorous  support 
of  Jack. 

*  *  No  need  to  say  anything  to  encourage  you, ' ' 
remarked  Jones  shortly  before  Jack  rode  into 
the  inclosure,  **but  I  believe  you'll  win.'* 

Just  then  Chris  came  over.  *^Best  wishes, 
Jack,''  he  called  out  genially;  *^we're  all  hop- 
ing to  see  you  win,  and  we  believe  you  can  do 
it." 

**That  boy's  changed.  Jack,"  said  Jones  as 
Chris  turned  and  walked  away ;  *  4f  he  keeps  it 
up  he'll  grow  into  a  white  man  yet.  A  final 
shake.  Jack — keep  your  head  and  you'll  win 
right  enough." 

The  old  cow-puncher  waited  impatiently  for 
the  word  to  start.  He  had  received  a  shock 
when  Jack  had  equaled  his  time,  and  he  was 
astonished  at  the  youthfulness  of  his  rival  for 
chief  honors.  He  was  a  good  sport,  though,  and 
smiled  pleasantly  as  Jack  pulled  up  alongside  of 
him. 

A  few  seconds  later  he  dashed  out  in  pur- 
suit of  his  steer,  and  the  time  returned  was 
the  same  as  before — thirty-three  seconds.  At 
the  word  **go"  Jack  galloped  after  his  steer  to 
the  accompaniment  of  a  roar  of  encouragement 
from  the  huge  crowd.  A  groan  of  suspense  was 


THE  GREAT  STAMPEDE  233 

heard  as,  for  a  brief  second,  it  seemed  as  if 
Jack  had  missed  his  steer,  which  was  followed 
by  a  frantic  cheer  as  they  saw  he  was  safely 
roped.  The  steer  safely  trussed  up,  Jack  held 
up  his  hand — thirty-three  seconds !  Another  tie  I 

The  crowd  yelled  its  delight  at  the  prospect 
of  another  duel  between  these  two  amazing 
ropers. 

It  was  decided  to  toss  up  as  to  who  should 
have  the  choice  of  competing  first,  and  Jack 
won.  He  decided  to  take  his  chance  at  once. 
He  was  keyed  up  by  nervous  excitement  and 
knew  that  he  could  never  hope  to  be  in  a  bet- 
ter condition  to  do  himself  justice.  The  steer 
was  released  and  went  careering  wildly  across 
the  inclosure.  At  the  same  time  Jack  heard  the 
word  ^^go."  His  horse  seemed  to  have  entered 
into  the  spirit  of  the  thing  and  tore  after  the 
steer  at  a  great  pace.  Jack  shot  out  his  rope, 
making  a  beautiful  throw.  Then  he  took  a 
chance.  So  confident  was  he  that  his  throw  was 
a  perfect  one  that  he  did  not  wait  for  the  rope 
to  touch  the  steer,  trusting  to  the  intelligence 
of  his  pony  to  do  the  rest.  He  slipped  out  of  the 
saddle  and  was  almost  on  top  of  the  steer  when 
he  crashed  to  the  ground.  His  pony  had  wheeled 
at  the  right  moment.    Frantic  cheers  went  up 


234  MAKING  GOOD 

from  the  crowd  when  they  realized  what  a  dar- 
ing chance  Jack  had  taken,  and  when  the  time 
was  announced — thirty  seconds — they  redoubled 
their  cheering.  It  was  the  neatest,  the  most 
skillful  and  daring  piece  of  work  that  had  been 
seen  during  the  whole  of  the  Stampede  to  date. 

The  old  cow-puncher  was  a  fighter,  though, 
and  he  made  a  great  effort  to  beat  the  time  re- 
turned, but  failed  by  two  seconds,  so  that  Jack 
was  returned  the  winner.  He  was  cheered  to 
the  echo  as  he  rode  out  of  the  inclosure,  and  was 
fairly  mobbed  by  the  Q.  Z.  boys. 

**You  are  right  there  with  the  goods,  Jack,*' 
called  out  Jones;  and  Slim  was  heard  to  say, 
**Well,  sirree,  if  that  bc^y'd  tried  a  few  more 
times  he'd  uv  done  it  in  less  than  no  time.*' 

When  the  excitement  had  died  down  and 
Jack  and  Jones  were  alone,  the  latter  began  to 
show  alarming  symptoms  of  apoplexy,  so  that 
Jack  asked  in  tones  of  great  concern: 

*  *  For  goodness '  sake  what 's  wrong  with  you, 
Joe?" 

Jones  gave  a  great  gulp,  and  then  began  to 
explain.  *^IVe  just  bought  an  option  on  the 
slickest  little  ranch  in  Alberta,  Jack,  and  IVe 
been  fairly  bustin'  to  tell  you  about  it." 

**Well,  all  I  can  say  is  that  I'm  awfully  glad 


THE  GEEAT  STAMPEDE  235 

you  got  the  chance  when  you  did;  a  few  more 
minutes  with  all  that  in  you,  Joe,  and  I'm  sure 
you'd  have  passed  out." 

*'You  know  that  little  ranch  house  by  the 
river — a  pretty  place  right  in  among  the  trees 
and  about  ten  miles  southwest  of  the  Q.  ZJ" 
*^Yes,  I  know  the  place  you  mean,  Joe." 
'*Well,  I've  put  down  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  this  mornin'  for  an  option  on  it  lastin' 
ten  days.  I  was  fairly  dying  to  tell  you  about  it 
before  the  competition  came  off,  but  thought  it 
might  upset  your  nerve  a  little  with  so  much  at 
stake;  but  I  was  plumb  sure  you'd  win,  Jack." 
** What's  the  price  and  terms,  Joel" 
**  Twelve    thousand    dollars — ^five   thousand 
down  and  the  balance  in  three  years.   There's 
a  section  of  land  goes  with  the  ranch  house  and 
buildings,  and  along  with  it  a  fifteen  years' 
lease  on  another  two  thousand  acres,  at  a  yearly 
rent  of  five  hundred  dollars — dirt  cheap,  and 
the  chance  of  a  lifetime.  That  leaves  us  five 
thousand  dollars  to  buy  up  stock,  and  in  fifteen 
years  you'll  be  able  to  retire  a  wealthy  man." 
*  *  Hurrah ! ' '  yelled  Jack,  throwing  his  Stetson 
into  the  air,  **good  for  you,  Joe.  At  last  there's 
going  to  be  a  J.  J.  ranch. ' ' 


236  MAKING  GOOD 

**You  bet  your  life,  Jack,  and  she's  goin'  to 
go,  too.'' 

It  was  decided  to  go  and  look  over  the  ranch 
as  soon  as  the  Stampede  finished.  **And  then 
we'll  cinch  it  with  five  thousand  dollars.  With 
the  remainder  we  can  buy  between  one  hundred 
and  fifty  and  two  hundred  head  of  cattle — a 
nice  little  bunch  to  start  with,"  said  Jones. 

Then  they  went  back  to  watch  the  finals  for 
the  bronchobusting  competition.  The  Indian 
rider  was  the  only  Canadian  competitor  left  in. 
He  was  riding  when  they  reached  the  inclosure, 
and  was  seated  on  a  regular  outlaw  of  the 
prairie,  which  fairly  catapulted  itself  into  the 
center  of  the  ring.  Holding  loosely  in  his  left 
hand  the  halter  rope — for  ** busting"  was  done 
without  the  aid  of  a  bridle — this  stoical  Indian 
took  a  succession  of  bucks  and  twists  in  a  man- 
ner that  called  forth  the  clamorous  approba- 
tion of  the  crowd. 

**Bust  'im,  Indian!"  yelled  the  crowd.  A 
thrilling  struggle  followed,  but  in  spite  of  the 
violent  contortions  of  the  broncho,  the  Indian 
maintained  his  seat  and  was  declared  the  win- 
ner of  the  competition,  to  the  frantic  delight  of 
the  Canadian  cow-punchers. 

The  following  day  Jack,  along  with  Jones 


THE  GEEAT  STAMPEDE  237 

and  the  other  winners,  gave  exhibitions  of  their 
powers.  In  the  evening,  with  the  huge  stadium 
brilliantly  lighted,  Joan  and  Jack  gave  their  ex- 
hibition of  trick  and  fancy  roping  that  fairly 
brought  down  the  house;  so  ended  what  had 
been  the  most  brilliantly  successful  episode  in 
Jack's  adventurous  career. 

^^Joan,''  he  said  to  her  as  they  walked  back 
to  the  stables  with  their  horses,  **  Jones  and  I 
have  practically  bought  a  ranch;  hope  you'll 
come  to  see  us  some  time.'' 

*^How  splendid!"  replied  Joan  enthusias- 
tically; **what  a  wonderful  pair  of  friends  yon 
two  are.  Of  course  I'll  come  as  often  as  I  dare, 
but  how  sorry  we  shall  be  to  lose  you." 

Just  then  they  heard  steps  behind  them;  it 
was  Mr.  Mcintosh, 

**Dad,"  called  out  Joan,  **I've  got  some 
great  news  for  you.  Jack  and  Jones  have 
bought  a  ranch." 

*^ That's  no  news,  Joan,  for  I've  heard  all 
about  it.  Jack,  my  boy,"  he  said,  ^*I  want  to 
congratulate  you  on  your  pluck  and  persever- 
ance. I  knew  you'd  make  good,  and  sorry 
though  I  am  to  lose  you  two  boys,  I'm  mighty 
pleased  to  be  able  to  shake  you  by  the  hand  and 
wish  you  both  the  best  of  luck. ' ' 


238  MAKING  GOOD 

** Thank  you,  Mr.  Mcintosh/'  replied  Jack 
with  some  emotion;  *Hhe  Q.  Z.  has  been  a  real 
home  to  me,  and  I  can  never  forget  that  if  I 
have  made  good  my  thanks  are  due  entirely  to 
you. ' ' 

**  Forget  it,  boy,  forget  it.  Come  on  with  your 
pintos,  you  twoj  we're  riding  back  to  the  Q.  Z. 
to-night.'' 


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■     MAY  20  192^ 

inAY  aotm 

OCT  HP:  ^W 

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• 

V^Ki  20  ^9^^^ 

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1 

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VB  33328 


